South Carolina Football: 10 observations from fall practice so far
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s Fall Camp Observations:
True Freshmen Pup Howard, Desmond Umeozulu, and Jalen Kilgore could play a lot in 2023.
Between graduation, the NFL, and the transfer portal the 2022 South Carolina defense will only return a handful of starters for 2023. Projected starters Jordan Strachan (defensive end), Tonka Hemingway (defensive tackle), Mo Kaba (linebacker), Nick Emmanwori (safety), DQ Smith (safety), Marcellas Dial (cornerback), and David Spaulding (nickel) have all started multiple games, but there has never been a time when more than four of those players started at the same time.
Strachan, Kaba, and Spaulding are returning from serious injuries sustained in 2023, and true freshmen at all three levels have performed well enough to help fill any gaps left in the defense.
Grayson “Pup” Howard has taken some of the first-team reps at linebacker. Stone Blanton and Debo Williams have also taken some of the first-team snaps. It is unclear if Howard, Blanton, or Williams have the advantage right now as the second starter next to Mo Kaba. Kaba has not been a full participant in full-contact 11-on-11 team drills, but Beamer has said that he would be 100% for the season.
At a thin defensive end spot, Strachan is a starter, but the other spot is a bit more up in the air. Currently, older player Tyreek Johnson appears to be finally healthy and the first option at the spot, but transfer sophomore Jatius Geer and freshman Desmond Umeozulu have gotten significant opportunities to play, as well. Sophomore Bryan Thomas, Jr. will have a role this season, too.
In the secondary, Jalen Kilgore has been the most impressive newcomer. The 4-star safety has been so good, in fact, that some are wondering if DQ Smith could move to the starting nickel spot in order to get Kilgore on the field at safety. That doesn’t seem like the plan right now, but it is certainly not out of the realm of possibility.
Other true freshmen like Vicari Swain (DB), Judge Collier (DB), Xzavier McLeod (DT), and Nyck Harbor (situational EDGE) also could carve out a role in Clayton White’s defense.