South Carolina Football: Why 4-star true freshman defensive end Desmond Umeozulu will be one of the Gamecocks’ most important players of the future (and maybe right now)
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football reeled in the 16th-ranked recruiting class in 2023, and several players stood out based on the prospect rankings rating them as 4-star or 5-star recruits. There is an argument to make, though, that one of the least-talked-about blue chippers could be the most important of the group.
Desmond Umeozulu is a consensus 4-star EDGE player from the DMV who will be called upon to contribute as soon as this season, but before getting too much into Desmond U, let’s take a look at all the other players considered 4-stars in the class by at least one major recruiting service.
5-star athlete Nyck Harbor is a tantalizing talent at wide receiver with his combination of size (6’5″ and 241 pounds) and speed (he has legitimate Olympic dreams as a sprinter). There are also some low rumblings that he could see some light work in obvious pass rush situations at defensive end.
Fast-rising quarterback LaNorris Sellers looks to be the presumptive QB1 of the future, maybe even as soon as Spencer Rattler enters the NFL after the 2023 season.
Offensive lineman Markee Anderson is already set to contribute this fall and is believed to be one of the best young linemen in all of college football moving forward.
The Mr. Football for the state of South Carolina in 2022 was Xzavier McLeod, and the big defensive tackle has slimmed up and looks ready to contribute even as a true freshman in 2023.
With the thin depth chart at the position, 4-star running back DJay Braswell will play this season, as well, and he has lots of potential that could lead him to become, in time, one of the biggest home run threats in the SEC.
Grayson “Pup” Howard has one of the biggest personalities in the class, and the young linebacker could carve out a role early in his career.
Offensive tackle Oluwatosin “Tree” Babalade has almost unlimited potential, and his nickname has made him a well-known commodity before he has even played a snap in garnet and black.
Vicari Swain will begin his career as a defensive back, but that comes only after a fight between wide receivers coach Justin Stepp and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray as Swain is a fluid athlete who could be dynamic on either side of the ball.
Jalon Kilgore is a hard-hitting safety that is good enough to push Freshman All-Americans Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith this season.
Kelton Henderson needs to add size, but his combination of speed and twitchiness has Gamecock fans dreaming of Ace Sanders 2.0.
Trovon Baugh was a high school All-American, and the big man could join Markee Anderson as a starting guard of the future for the Gamecocks.
Desmond Umeozulu, though, could be the most important prospect of the bunch, and Gamecock fans likely won’t have to wait long to see him play.
It is well-known that the Gamecocks are thin at defensive end. 7th-year player Jordan Strachan likely will start at one spot if he is fully recovered from his second torn ACL, and Syracuse transfer Jatius Geer and upperclassman Tyreek Johnson will battle to own the job opposite of Strachan.
Beyond that? There are more questions than answers for South Carolina football.
The older players like Terrell Dawkins and Tyreek Johnson are unproven and have battled a lot of injuries.
Geer has only played big snaps at ACC school Syracuse.
Bryan Thomas, Jr. is a skilled and athletic pass rusher, but weighing in at under 235 pounds, he is not a full-time player at defensive end in the SEC.
4-star signee Monteque Rhames is no longer with the team after an arrest in the offseason.
The only other player listed as an EDGE on the Gamecock roster is Umeozulu.
The freshman has not been talked about enough by many who follow South Carolina football. Physically, he is a carbon copy of Geer and Strachan, so he will be able to fit in seamlessly this season while he progresses and grows as a player.
Umeozulu’s first year on campus almost assuredly will not include a redshirt as he should force his way into the third defensive end spot and could push Strachan, Johnson, and Geer for snaps.
When Strachan, Dawkins, and Johnson are gone next season, “Dez U” will be an unquestioned starter on the EDGE, and he will be, quite possibly, the key to South Carolina football’s defensive success.
The Gamecocks have had good players at EDGE in recent years (Darius English was an elite pass rusher in 2016, and Kingsley Enagbare was a big-time run defender who was a solid EDGE rusher), but no Carolina defensive end has been dominant against both the run and the pass since Jadeveon Clowney.
While no one should be comparing Dez U to JD Clowney (that wouldn’t be fair), he has a chance to be an elite overall defensive end, and dominant players up front are the most disruptive to opposing offenses.
Umeozulu has 1st-round NFL Draft upside as a plus-athlete who knows how to use his hands well to shed blockers and keep them from getting engaged in the first place. In the recently-released South Carolina football preseason media guide, Umeozulu is listed at 6’6″ and 246 pounds. If he can add just a little bit of muscle to that frame, he will be an ideal size for a starting SEC end.
With the right buy-in from the man himself, Desmond Umezulu’s future is very bright, and the South Carolina football program will be better because he is part of it.
With a recent big-time commitment from fellow Washington DC native and 5-star EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina football very well could have two dominant defensive ends from the DMV holding down the EDGE in the not-too-distant future.
You can watch some of Umeozulu’s film here.