South Carolina football linebacker ranked among the nation's best
By Kevin Miller
Fall camp begins on Friday for the 2024 South Carolina football team. The Gamecocks are viewed as one of the SEC teams with the greatest variance this fall, but if things go well for Carolina, it will be because USC successfully blends their combination of returning contributors and the talent they added this offseason through the transfer portal and from the high school ranks.
One of the returning players who will be of extreme importance to the team's success this fall is linebacker Debo Williams.
After a breakout 2023 season in which he finished in the top-3 in the conference in total tackles and solo stops, Williams made his way to a lot of All-SEC teams and has garnered preseason All-SEC and All-American love heading into his senior year.
Recently, College Football Network has ranked their top-25 players at every position on the field, and on their list of the top linebackers in the country, Debo Williams checked in at #18. He is the 6th SEC 'backer in the rankings, though, several of the players ahead of him are hybrid linebacker/EDGE players and not traditional linebackers like Williams.
This season, whether South Carolina football defensive coordinator Clayton White elects to favor the 4-2-5 or 3-3-5 (the Gamecocks, historically, have been a 4-2-5 unit but used the 3-3-5 as the primary defensive set down the stretch of the 2023 season) or an even combination of the two schemes, Williams will be on the field. He is the true Mike linebacker in the 3-3-5 and will play next to a rangier Will 'backer in the 4-2-5.
With a good showing this fall, Debo Williams will hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft. He is already one of the best tacklers against the run in the entire country, and he had the mental side of the game slow down for him tremendously as he became the starter last year. Williams also worked hard this offseason to improve his ability to play in coverage.
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