South Carolina Football: Under the radar players to watch as fall camp begins

South Carolina Football’s most under the radar players to watch in fall camp:
The Unheralded Freshmen

Several players in the Gamecocks’ 2023 recruiting class have been talked about a lot this offseason. Wide receiver Nyck Harbor, running back DJay Braswell, linebacker Pup Howard, EDGE Desmond Umeozulu, and even quarterback LaNorris Sellers are expected to play prominent roles on the team this season. However, there are other Gamecock freshmen worth watching this fall.

Jalon Kilgore is one of the most impressive young players on the team, and as good as Freshman All-American safeties Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith are, Kilgore could still see some snaps this season. If Kilgore is too good to keep off the field, look for Smith to get some snaps at nickel so that the freshman can play, too.

Another high-upside defensive back newcomer is Judge Collier. Not heavily recruited out of Rock Hill, Collier has already shown some strong potential in his short time in Columbia thanks to his physicality and competitiveness. Can he force his way into the two-deep somewhere in the secondary?

Trovon Baugh was one of three 4-star offensive linemen in last year’s class. Markee Anderson is expected to play some this year, and Oluwatosin “Tree” Babalade is a high-ceiling player for the future. However, Baugh could also be a factor this year as he could be a force if he buys into Luke Day’s strength and conditioning program.

Wide receiver Elijah Caldwell is not as big or as fast as Nyck Harbor, but he has a great feel for the game and is a smart route-runner who also has good hands and quickness. Around 6’0″ tall, he is big enough to play outside in certain situations and quick enough to play in the slot. Caldwell has the chance to leap over some of the other young receivers on the depth chart with a good fall.

Vicari Swain is a dynamic athlete who shot up the recruiting rankings in the months leading up to the early Signing Day last year. He will begin his career as a defensive back, and with the uncertainty at corner, his fluidity and “just go play ball” ability could push him into a spot in the two-deep sooner rather than later.

Kamron Sandlin was a high school quarterback who was expected to play tight end for the Gamecocks. However, with the influx of talent at tight end and the lack of depth at running back for South Carolina football, he has moved to running back. He will compete with Newberry transfer Mario Anderson and fellow freshman DJay Braswell for carries behind presumed starter Dakereon Joyner and scatback Juju McDowell.

Freshmen tight ends Reid Mikeska and Connor Cox both have outside shots of playing this fall. Mikeska is more of a receiving option, and Cox is more of a hand-in-the-dirt tight end who can block, but both players are talented and could become factors if an injury takes place or if one of the pass-catching tight ends is needed to play more of a receiver role.