South Carolina football: two players ranked in ESPN top 100

The South Carolina football team is a week away from its season opener, and a few key players are expected to be among the nation’s top performers in the 2021 campaign. ESPN recently revealed their rankings of the top 100 players in college football ahead of the season’s start, and two Gamecocks made the cut.

Running back Kevin Harris and edge rusher Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare were listed as two of the sport’s top players, and they’ll both be expected to make large contributions for the Gamecocks this Fall. Harris returns to Columbia as the SEC’s leading rusher, while Enagbare earned all-conference honors as a junior last year.

South Carolina football players among nation’s best.

Kingsley Enagbare

Enagbare topped the list amongst Gamecocks, coming in as the 60th-best player in college football. Enagbare was one of the SEC’s top sack getters in 2020, and rather than jumping ship to the NFL, he opted to return for his senior year under Shane Beamer.

Last season, the edge rusher ranked second in the SEC by averaging .75 sacks a game, as he recorded six quarterback takedowns in eight games of action. He also ranked among the top performers in forced fumbles. This year, he’s expected to be a major contributor along the defensive front four, with many viewing him as a potential first-round draft pick.

He will lead the deepest and most talented group on the defensive unit, and has a chance to once again boost his sack totals in his final season. The senior has 17 tackles for loss to his name, and has seen his sack totals increase with each year. The Gamecocks are hoping the best is yet to come.

Here’s what ESPN had to say about Enagbare.

"“Enagbare had six sacks in eight games last season. At 6-4 and 270 pounds, he’s skilled enough to play linebacker in the NFL, or put his hand in the dirt and play defensive end. ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. ranks him as the No. 18 prospect for the 2022 NFL draft.”"

Kevin Harris 

Harris led the SEC in rushing during the regular season, averaging 113 yards a game over ten games. He notched two 200-yard games, and set a program record with a 6.2 yard per carry mark. In all, the second-year runner found the endzone on 16 occasions, including a five-score performance in a loss to Ole Miss.

This year he heads a talented backfield that includes MarShawn Lloyd, ZaQuandre White, Juju McDowell, and Rashad Amos. With the struggles that the Gamecocks have had in the passing game over the last few seasons, it’s likely that the offense will lean on Harris and the rest of the team’s talented rushers to score some points.

A complete unknown entering the 2020 season, Harris is still trying to earn respect in the media, which frequently has listed him as the conference’s fifth or sixth-best player at the position. His numbers may decrease a bit due to sharing the workload in 2021, but his talent has been on display since his arrival in Columbia.

ESPN had this to say about South Carolina’s best rusher.

"“Harris… became the first Gamecock to lead the SEC in rushing with 1,138 yards in 10 games. Ranked the No. 93 prospect in Georgia by ESPN Recruiting in 2019, South Carolina was the only SEC team to offer him a scholarship.”"

These Gamecocks will get their first shot to show off their skillsets on September 4th in a meeting against Eastern Illinois.