South Carolina Football: Ranking the most otherworldly Gamecock athletes
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s No. 3 Most Otherworldly Players of All-Time:
Defensive Tackle Javon Kinlaw
Not only does Javon Kinlaw possess a freakish body, but the big defensive tackle underwent an abnormal body transformation to get there. A potential offensive tackle out of high school, Kinlaw wanted to play on the defensive line. While enrolled in junior college, he worked on his game to play the position he loved, but when he got to Carolina, he worked on his body.
Kinlaw reportedly went from around 350 pounds to just under 300 in a matter of months, but he also got significantly stronger during that process. That isn’t normal. As Kinlaw became a new man physically, he turned into a dominant force at defensive tackle that was as disruptive as any interior player in college football during his time with the South Carolina football program.
With the new body came a new uniform number, and the former #99 became #3. Kinlaw’s physique was so good that he didn’t look out of place wearing the number typically reserved for skill position players, something most 300-pounders could never claim.
After earning a 1st-round draft selection in the 2020 NFL Draft, Kinlaw battled some injuries, and some of that weight came back. However, the supernaturally-gifted former Gamecock remade himself again by ditching over 20 pounds in a short time span to get ready for the season last year. Now, fully healthy once more, the big man will look to be back to dominating offensive linemen again this fall.