With 75 days until kickoff, a look at South Carolina football's number 75 Cason Henry

South Carolina football is just 75 days away from opening kickoff against the Old Dominion Monarchs (the first time the two teams will play). August 31st is quickly approaching, and the 2024 season is a big one for the Gamecocks as they look to recapture some of the positive momentum the program held following overachieving 2021 and 2022 campaigns.

A down 2023 (heavily influenced by injuries and inconsistencies on defense and the offensive line) put a pause on the vertical climb Shane Beamer's program was experiencing, but a bounce-back 2024 would make the '23 season feel like an afterthought.

One of the most impactful injuries on the team last fall was #75 Cason Henry as the redshirt freshman offensive lineman was the starter at right tackle but was limited to just one drive in the season opener and one short stint later in the year after getting hurt twice. Most of the backup snaps at the position (other than a stretch where center Vershon Lee kicked out to right tackle) were a disaster, and the Gamecock offense couldn't overcome the hole.

Listed at 6'6" and 310 pounds, Henry was the lowest-rated of three offensive linemen signed in the class of 2022, but he quickly proved the recruiting rankings wrong and separated himself from the other freshmen. Had it not been for a veteran offensive line unit that fall, he might have seen the field as a true freshman. He won the Offensive Scout Team Award that season and was poised to start in 2023 before the injury.

Now in his third year with the program, Henry once again is a real candidate to start at tackle, and if he can stay healthy, there is optimism that he will be a big upgrade on the output at right tackle from a year ago.

Henry will battle with a deeper offensive line unit during fall camp this year. Several younger Gamecocks have high upsides, and veteran transfer Aaryn Parks and 6th-year senior Jakai Moore could be factors at the position, as well.

At a minimum, Henry seems destined for a spot in the two-deep, so there is a real need for the Georgia native to be good and to be healthy during the 2024 season.