‘It’s a next man up business:’ Gilber Edmond primed to replace Jordan Strachan
After a physical match-up with Arkansas last week, South Carolina is limping into its week three matchup with No. 1 Georgia defensively.
The Gamecocks will have to dig into their depth chart to replace the likes of Mo Kaba and Jordan Strachan, both are out for the year with ACL injuries.
“I’d be sitting here lying to you if I said that it was easy…We just lost two really critical pieces, players on our defense,” Beamer said. “That’s tough to overcome, there’s no doubt about it. I mean that’s the heart of your defense right there.”
Despite the obstacle of continuing on without them, Shane Beamer said that no one on the team is letting those injuries affect their preparation for the top-ranked Bulldogs.
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“Our guys hurt for them but its next man up mentality and we all have to get better,” Beamer said. “It’s part of it, hate it, but no one is sitting around feeling sorry for us right now.”
With Strachan out a pivotal spot is now open at the edge position. Clayton White doesn’t expect he’ll have to add any extra motivation to the guys that were listed behind Strachan on the depth chart.
“Other guys have to understand that it’s a next man up business. But it’s not personal against those other guys obviously,” White said. “I think our guys understand, we’vee been through this last year in another position, so everybody has to pick up their play.”
South Carolina is expecting Gilber Edmond to step up and start with Strachan out.
Edmond, a redshirt sophomore, has already seen increased playing time this season. He should slide into the roll just fine.
Through two games he has logged 61 snaps on defense. That is most among the edge rushers on the roster not named Burch or Strachan.
For comparison, last year Edmond only logged 32 snaps across five games.
White spoke highly of Edmond prior to the Arkansas game. Edmond totaled four tackles, two of which were for loss, against Georgia State.
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“Not jumping the gun and making decisions, he’s a prime example of that,” White said. “Someone who is gonna be a really good football player. He’s really young, he’s really talented, he’s learning every single day.”
In two games Edmond has logged eight total tackles. He has the third-best defensive PFF rating of any Gamecock on the defensive side of the ball.
Though these numbers aren’t jaw-dropping they’re certainly signs of what could be. It’s what White joked last week that he’s been trying to hide.
“That was one of those names I didn’t wanna keep throwing out in the summer,” White said. “I knew he was gonna be a guy that was gonna flash.”
Edmond is just one of the younger guys who will likely be thrust into a much larger role going forward.
White credits the strength program in place at South Carolina and the way the Gamecocks practice for the development of the much-needed depth.
“We’re in a league where at any time you could be on your third guy playing or your fourth guy playing so we’re always trying to develop our young guys,” White said.
