South Carolina Football: The ugly truth about the Gamecock defense
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s Defense:
What’s Next?
The Gamecocks are in danger of 2023 becoming a completely lost season. Reaching the 6-win bowl-eligibility threshold will be very difficult, and if the Gamecocks can’t get to some form of postseason play, then every bit of the defensive focus has to shift to future development.
The future starts with the young players on the roster. Freshmen and sophomores like Jalon Kilgore, Nick Emmanwori, DQ Smith, TJ Sanders, Stone Blanton, and Pup Howard are already playing a role for the defense. Improvement is imperative, but the coaching staff figuring out the correct manner to use these players will be important moving forward.
Emmanwori and Smith can’t be nickel players next year. They are safeties (or maybe even linebackers). Stone Blanton, Pup Howard, and Desmond Umeozulu are talented but have to be developed more.
Other young players on the roster have to be developed, as well. Xzavier McLeod, Vicari Swain, Keenan Nelson, KaJuan Banks, Emory Floyd, and Judge Collier could be major contributors in the future.
Recruiting has gone well on defense in the 2024 cycle. 5-star EDGE Dylan Stewart, 4-star corner Braydon Lee, 4-star safety Kelvin Hunter, 4-star linebacker Fred “JayR” Johnson, 4-star linebacker/EDGE Wendell Gregory, and 4-star athlete Jalewis Solomon are all blue chip defenders committed in the class.
Fans always have one eye on the future, but if things don’t get better in a hurry this season, the Gamecock Faithful will have both eyes turned in that direction soon.
Related Story. South Carolina Football: Gamecocks release new depth chart ahead of Missouri game. light