South Carolina Football’s GOAT Series: Top-12 defensive ends/EDGE players of all-time

Ranking the top-12 defensive ends/EDGE players in South Carolina football history
South Carolina football's Jadeveon Clowney with a sack against Missouri in 2012. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports
South Carolina football's Jadeveon Clowney with a sack against Missouri in 2012. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports /
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South Carolina Football’s No. 5 EDGE Player of All-Time:
John Abraham

John Abraham (1996-1999) is one of the most gifted athletes to ever play at South Carolina. A track star despite being 6’4″ and 230 pounds, Abraham didn’t play football until his senior year of high school. He showed off his considerable athleticism immediately at South Carolina as he became a contributor as a freshman, including notching a sack in a win over Clemson (linked above). He also is one of the school’s all-time leaders in blocked kicks with 4.

Abraham is one of just two Gamecocks (along with Eric Norwood) to put together four seasons of 4+ sacks, and his 22.5 career sacks put him tied for 4th in program history, but those who watched him understand he was even better than his numbers would indicate. His college career showed enough promise, though, that he was picked in the first round of the NFL Draft, where he racked up an insane 133.5 career sacks. He was honored as an SEC Legend in 2017 and has a chance to one day be enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame.