South Carolina Football: Under the radar players to watch as fall camp begins
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s most under the radar players to watch in fall camp:
Cornerbacks Marcellas Dial and O’Donnell Fortune
Fans who have watched South Carolina football closely are familiar with Marcellas Dial. The Gamecocks’ third corner in 2022, Dial started the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame and saw plenty of game action the rest of the season, playing both inside and outside in defensive backs coach Torrian Gray’s secondary.
Dial had an interception against Clemson that served as a way to introduce himself to many fans who were previously unfamiliar, and the Woodruff High School product will look to build off of that late-season success and be a true #1 cover option for defensive coordinator Clayton White’s unit.
Some college football outlets appear to be high on Dial heading into the season. On3 listed Dial in their top-100 list of college football players for the 2023 campaign, ranking the Gamecock corner #67 in the country. Athlon Sports predicted an All-SEC season for Dial in 2023, as well.
O’Donnell Fortune has been in the South Carolina football program for three years now and has seen some game action, but he is largely unproven. A 100-yard pick-six against Notre Dame has been the highlight of his limited playing time, but the speedy corner will enter fall camp as the presumed starter out wide, opposite of Dial.
As new full-time starters, Dial and Fortune will be tested often this fall, and the difficult road ahead will begin in the season opener. North Carolina already threw the ball a lot, but Mack Brown’s team is as unsure about their running game as the Gamecocks are, so expect quarterback Drake Maye to give the new secondary men a chance to prove themselves in game 1.
This fall will be instrumental in both Dial and Fortune (especially Fortune) cementing their starting roles and becoming the type of players that can adequately fill the shoes of NFL corners Cam Smith and Darius Rush who led the Gamecocks to one of the nation’s best pass defenses in 2022.