31 days until South Carolina football kickoff, a look at number 31 Peyton Williams

There are just 31 days left on the calendar before the South Carolina football season officially begins. Fall camp begins this week for the Gamecocks, and several position groups will have intense battles for the starting jobs.

One unit that will not have a position battle is safety. In fact, the best players at the position are so good that the Carolina defense is expected to play three of them at a time. 2022 Freshman All-Americans Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith are projected to start at the two traditional safety spots, while 2023 Freshman All-American Jalon Kilgore should be the team's nickel. All three players will get snaps in the box and on the back end of the defense.

Behind the top-3, there will be competition for roles in the two-deep.

One of the players battling for a rotational spot at safety is redshirt sophomore Peyton Williams. Williams has not played much yet for the Gamecocks but filled in very well back in 2022 against the Tennessee Volunteers after Nick Emmanwori was ejected for targeting and veterans David Spaulding and Devonni Reed were out with injuries.

Williams missed most of 2023 with an ankle injury but appears to be healthy for 2024. His combination of size (6'0" and 200 pounds) and speed will make him a candidate to help out on special teams, especially on special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis' coverage units. He will compete with fellow underclassmen Kelvin Hunter, David Bucey, and Gerald Kilgore and veterans David Spaulding, Buddy Mack, and King-Demenian Ford for those depth roles at safety.

Williams and the Gamecocks will play in week 1 on August 31st against the Old Dominion Monarchs. Kickoff is set for 4:15 PM ET inside the friendly confines of Williams-Brice Stadium and will be broadcast on the SEC Network and streamed on the ESPN app.