Alex Huntley speaks on Tonka Hemingway and South Carolina's big plans on defense this season
South Carolina’s defense reaps the benefits with Alex Huntley returning for the 2024 season, but he’s not the only veteran up front coming back.
“I think Tonka (Hemingway) coming back is huge,” Huntley said at SEC Media Days. “He’s a great player, as everybody knows. Great teammate. And he’s a great person. Being one of my close friends, every day, I kind of see him in a different light than a lot of people. But he’s a very calm guy. Just to himself but on the football field he kind of lets it all go.”
A valuable piece to South Carolina’s defense, Hemingway is set for another season in Garnet and Black. The defensive tackle ended the 2023 season with 32 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.
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“Having a guy like that is huge, and we have so many guys on defense who either are new additions or who have bettered themselves in the offseason,” Huntley said.
Hemingway is praised for not only his talent but his leadership. The defense as a whole has big plans for improvements in the new season.
“It’s going to be cool to see how many guys are playing, and it’s going to be a lot because I keep getting questions about the defense a lot, and rightfully so, because what we’re going to do this year is going to be very big. So just about every position has a guy who you might not have heard of but you’ll see this year,” Huntley said.
Meanwhile, Huntley has had a positive impact on defense as a Gamecock. Huntley finished the 2023 season with 33 total tackles and two sacks.
Like Hemingway, Huntley’s decision to come back for another year was huge. Together, they’ll lead what should be a very strong defensive line in 2024.
“I mean, there’s several things I’d say,” Huntley said. “First step, we’ve got a lot of guys who came in who have put immediate impact on our team, on our defense. That’s something that, obviously, helps you in every aspect.”
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South Carolina will be coming off a year in which it finished 5-7 under head coach Shane Beamer. The defense, which progressively got better towards the end of the season, will look to continue to trend upwards. And it starts with players like Hemingway and Huntley.
“I think last year didn’t go the way anybody on the team wanted it, and I think we all came back from that with a real big chip on our shoulder, ready to work, ready to just do what we’ve got to do to win. Because that’s the only thing on our minds right now is win,” Huntley said.
