Dialing it up: How Marcellas Dial is the key to the South Carolina defense in 2023

South Carolina football had a strange defense in 2022. The Gamecocks struggled severely against the run, giving up 198 yards per game on the ground; however, USC was the conference’s top pass defense behind two NFL corners (Cam Smith and Darius Rush) and two Freshmen All-Americans (Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith).

Third cornerback Marcellas Dial played a lot in the crowded secondary. He played both inside at nickel and outside at corner alongside Smith and Rush (usually with Smith inside in those sets), and between the two starters opting out of the Gator Bowl and them dealing with some minor injuries during the regular season, he got plenty of snaps defending top receiving options, as well.

Though he technically had 10 starts in 2022 between nickel and cornerback, Dial was clearly third in the pecking order at corner. Now, with Dial set to be the top coverage option for the Gamecocks in 2023, all eyes have shifted to the new #6 (he wore #24 earlier in his career; defensive tackle Zacch Pickens wore #6).

There has been some offseason hype for the senior cornerback. On3 ranked Dial as the 67th-best player in college football this offseason. Athlon put the Woodruff High School alum on their All-SEC 4th team, and the league’s coaches named him to the 3rd team All-SEC squad.

Frankly, though those expectations may seem lofty for Dial, South Carolina football’s success in 2023 largely depends on the efforts of the former Georgia Military College Bulldog.

The Gamecocks are hoping to be better against the run this fall, but a drastic improvement is unexpected after losing Zacch Pickens from the defensive tackle room. That means that the team’s pass defense is going to have to be really good again this year to avoid giving up massive offensive performances to their opponents.

Because of the schedule, Dial will be tested against some of the top receivers in the country. A walk-through of the Gamecocks’ 10 Power-5 matchups demonstrates just how daunting the coverage task will be in 2023.

North Carolina added elite transfer portal wideout Tez Walker (who is currently ineligible, but UNC is confident he will be allowed to play), and tight end Bryson Nesbit might as well be a receiver with how often he runs routes all over the offensive formation.

Georgia boasts a room that includes three elite talents in Ladd McConkey, RaRa Thomas, and Dominic Lovett.

Mississippi State lost Thomas to the other Bulldogs but returns the dynamic Lideatrick Griffin who seems to always be just one block away from getting free.

Tennessee runs one of the best offensive systems in college football and big-armed Joe Milton will be able to throw the ball to gifted playmakers like Bru McCoy and Squirrel White.

The run-heavy Florida Gators still have a big-time weapon on the outside in Ricky Pearsall.

Luther Burden is a weapon for Missouri in the other Columbia.

Texas A&M’s Muhsin Muhammad, Jr. is one of the most talented players in all of college football.

Even Vanderbilt has All-SEC receiver Will Sheppard and his talented running mate Jayden McGowan.

Dane Key is a good receiver for Mark Stoops’ Kentucky squad, and Barion Brown is one of the best overall playmakers in the conference.

Clemson’s roster has elite South Carolina high school prospects Antonio Williams and Adam Randall entering their sophomore seasons.

In other words, the Gamecocks will be confronted with elite talent on the outside, and it will be up to Marcellas Dial to slow that talent down. If he can do that, the Shane Beamer-led South Carolina football program will have a chance to continue its upward trajectory and become real players in the college football landscape.