South Carolina Football: 100 days from kickoff, which Gamecocks must step up in 2024?
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football Players and Coaches Who Must Step Up in 2024:
Cornerback O'Donnell Fortune
Over the past two offseasons, the Gamecocks have had three cornerbacks taken in the NFL Draft as Cam Smith, Darius Rush, and Marcellas Dial all have gotten pro opportunities after showing real coverage ability while playing in Columbia. Unsurprisingly, those three got almost all the snaps at corner in 2022, and when Smith and Rush were drafted last spring, Dial was the #1 option out wide for the 2023 defense.
The only other corner to get a start in both 2022 and 2023 was O'Donnell Fortune. The Sumter, South Carolina native started the Gator Bowl after the '22 season and was the primary starter at the second corner opposite Dial in 2023. The 2024 version of OD Fortune has to be the man for defensive backs coach Torrian Gray.
Carolina likely will start a freshman or sophomore at the other corner (Judge Collier, Vicari Swain, Emory Floyd, and Jalewis Solomon seem to be the four most likely names to win that job), so it is imperative that the Gamecocks have someone ready to shut down opposing teams' top options outside.
OD Fortune has shown some really good flashes over the past two seasons, but he must be a stud consistently for USC this fall or things could get dicey in man coverage situations.