Behind the scenes: 2023 GC Kickoff Party

Join Kendall Smith in a behind-the-scenes video from the 3rd annual Gamecock Central Kickoff Party at Steel Hands Brewing!

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MORE: Sidney Fugar ‘no prisoners allowed’ mentality paying dividends in fall camp

By Jack Veltri

Sidney Fugar doesn’t have a preference with where he plays. He’s used to going with the flow of things.

Fugar, a transfer from Western Illinois, started nine games as a tackle last year. But heading into his first year at South Carolina, he doesn’t know where he’ll end up. Instead of overthinking it, he’s just letting the chips fall where they may.

“Right now, I’m playing both (left and right tackle),” Fugar said. “One day, coach (Lonnie) Teasley will be like, ‘Eh, go to left,’ and some days he’ll say, ‘Stay at right.’ I don’t really know. I’m just adapting to the program when it comes to that.”

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While Fugar doesn’t truly know what Teasley’s intentions are with where he’ll play at, he has enjoyed learning from him in the summer and fall camp.

“Working with Coach Teasley is like working with an NFL coach. He looks at the little nuances that I don’t even see. So it’s like, ‘Okay, why is that so important? Why do you want to flash a light on that little technique?’ Why, because it’s important to us. It’s important to him to fix those little things. When you fix those little things, the big things come easier,” Fugar said.

“It’s also the same thing with coach (Greg) Adkins. He’s been a coach for a long time, and he has a lot of knowledge and IQ. He teaches us when new formations come out, or how to read the defense. They’re a great pair to work with and help me strive to be the greatest person I can be.”

[Garnet Trust: “We Can Build Champions!”]

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Right now, Fugar clocks in at 6-foot-5 and around 315 pounds. When he’s out on the field, it’s hard not to notice that size. But it’s his skillset that his teammates are quickly picking up on.

“I think Sidney is a heck of a pass protector, and you guys will see that here pretty soon,” Nick Gargiulo said. “When I see him operate at right tackle, I’m pretty impressed with how fluid his kicks are and how quickly he’s able to redirect for his size. He’s a heck of a teammate, and I’ve enjoyed playing next to him and with him on the o-line.”

When it comes to pass protection, it’s something Fugar doesn’t take lightly, going as far back as high school.

“I don’t really know how many sacks I gave up at my old school, but I’m pretty sure it was less than five,” he said. “So far with going up against the defense every day, going up against new defensive ends, they give me the best look I can get. It’s an actual great look, and you can get better off of that. In practice, it’s like iron sharpening iron. We’re all competitive, and it’s great competition in practice with the d-ends here.”

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Fugar knows it’s his best ability as a lineman. More so than that, he just doesn’t want his quarterback to ever get hit.

“I have that mentality of my own that no prisoners allowed, no one is touching my QB. That’s how I’ve been playing the game,” he said. “When it comes to pass protection, I take it seriously and make sure my quarterback is clean and I’m protecting him.”

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