South Carolina Football: 5 Gamecocks who could blow up in 2023
By Kevin Miller
The South Carolina defensive line has a lot of good players in the room, both at defensive tackle and defensive end (and some guys who can play both), but arguably the best player of the bunch is Tonka Hemingway. Despite a great football name, Tonka Hemingway is not a well-known commodity yet.
That will change in 2023 as the preseason All-SEC selection has a chance to be the most important player on the Gamecock defense. Hemingway will start somewhere on the defensive front, most likely at tackle. He is athletic enough, though, that if the Gamecocks end up needing help at a thin defensive end position, #91 will slide outside and perform well there, too.
Tonka had a minor surgery this offseason and missed spring practice but has been a full participant in fall camp, so the injury is not expected to be a factor moving forward. In his fourth year in the program, the Conway native will be one of the leaders on a defense that has a lot of young talent who will contribute in 2023.
Slightly in jest (but also slightly seriously), fans may consider Hemingway as a threat on special teams. Players who weight 285 pounds do not usually contribute on special teams other than in a blocking capacity, but the Gamecock faithful remember their big-time defensive lineman snagging a pass (through pass interference, no less) to convert a first down on a fake field goal.
No matter where he plays and who is playing next to him, Tonka Hemingway will be taking a big step up for a team that desperately needs him to do so.