South Carolina Football: Gamecocks in consideration for elite linebacker
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina football needs help on its defense. In all five of the Gamecocks games this season, Shane Beamer’s team has given up over 320 yards, and in four of the five contests, Clayton White’s unit has surrendered over 430 yards.
The win over Mississippi State was the low point against the pass (487 yards allowed), and the loss to Tennessee was the team’s worst performance against the run (238 yards allowed).
The Gamecocks are ranked in the bottom-10 in the country in total yards allowed per game. Among teams in the Power-5 conferences, only the Colorado Buffaloes have a worse defense than USC.
Some reinforcements are coming in the form of young players. Currently, freshmen like Desmond Umeozulu, Pup Howard, and Jalon Kilgore are sure to be massive parts of the future in Columbia.
Others will come in recruiting. Current commitments like 5-star Dylan Stewart and 4-stars Fred Johnson, Wendell Gregory, and Kelvin Hunter will come in next year.
Future recruiting will be just as important so that the defense that has been on the field in 2023 never returns.
A priority future target is Nathaniel Owusu-Boateng. The Manassas, Virginia native is one of the most sought-after prospects in the country in the class of 2025. He is ranked as a top-12 linebacker in the country by all four major recruiting services, including a rating as the top player at the position according to Rivals.
Owusu-Boateng has offers from all over the country. 33 programs have extended an offer to the talented ‘backer, and that number will continue to grow. South Carolina football is one of those programs, and the Gamecocks believe they have a real shot to land the class of 2025 stud.
Uwusu-Boateng is from northern Virginia, part of the famous DMV (DC, Maryland, northern Virginia). South Carolina football has been among the country’s best at landing talent from the DMV under Shane Beamer. Big-time talents like Nyck Harbor, Tree Babalade, and Desmond Umeozulu hail from the area, as are current commits Dylan Stewart and Braydon Lee.
South Carolina football fans are hopeful their favorite team can continue this success and land Uwusu-Boateng.
You can watch some of his film here.