South Carolina Football: 10 players the Gamecocks will need to see step up after the Bye Week

10 players South Carolina Football must have step up after the Bye Week:
Linebacker Stone Blanton

Sophomore linebacker Stone Blanton entered the 2023 campaign as one of the top three linebackers on the roster after playing somewhat sparingly as a freshman last season. He started against North Carolina but was expected to move to a bench role once Mo Kaba was fully recovered from last season’s knee injury.

However, in game 1, Kaba injured his knee on special teams, moving Blanton up into a clear starting role for the foreseeable future. Blanton played well against UNC, logging 10 tackles and playing every snap other than Kaba’s one play. Since then, his performances have been inconsistent.

Blanton has had good moments as he logged a sack against Georgia and a big forced fumble against Mississippi State, but he has also really struggled with consistent tackling and run fits this season. #52 worked his butt off this offseason to get faster, and it has paid off, but the game still feels a little fast for him mentally, at times.

The Gamecocks need Blanton to step up into the player he is capable of being when they return to action against Florida after the Bye Week. At the other linebacker spot, Debo Williams was playing out of this world the first few weeks, covering up some of Blanton’s struggles. Now that Williams has come back to earth, Blanton has to step up for the underperforming Carolina defense.