David Bucey ready to step up and help South Carolina defense in freshman year
Early on in his college career, freshman David Bucey has emerged as a name to watch for at safety this season at South Carolina. A three-star recruit out of high school, Bucey joined the squad in January and has gotten ample experience early on.
Upon his arrival to South Carolina, the freshman joined a loaded competition at safety. Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith, both entering their third year as starters, should have those spots locked down. But that doesn’t mean Bucey won’t see any playing time in 2024.
“It’s just a lot of competition,” Bucey said. “We got a lot more depth and just competing every day so its fun.”
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As a senior in high school, Bucey recorded 111 tackles, including 17 tackles for loss, along with multiple sacks. He also played wide receiver and caught 52 passes for 769 yards and six touchdowns. But he’ll be playing on defense with the Gamecocks.
The adjustment to college football was both physical and mental for the Georgia native. He quickly realized how much different things were compared to when he was in high school.
“I thought it would be a lot more physical strain, but it’s a lot of mental stuff with your mental capacity,” Bucey said. “You’ve got to stay positive throughout the whole time. But I’m enjoying it.”
Although his role this fall is still unknown, Bucey has shown he’s ready to do what it takes to help the team. Injuries are inevitable and there is always a possibility for Bucey to see playing time as a result.
“That’s probably up to Coach Beamer,” Bucey said. “But you know just doing whatever I can to help out the team I’ll do.”
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The safety and wide receiver rooms are riddled with talented veterans with experience to learn from. As competition stiffens, going against top players in fall scrimmages has been beneficial for Bucey.
“All of them are spectacular,” Bucey said. “Mazeo makes me better every time I go against him so I know y’all have heard about him. Also Littlejohn, Emazon Littlejohn. He just got here, he’s a good kid too, I like going against him.”
