Looking at who's returning on South Carolina's defense

Clayton White’s defense wasn’t perfect in 2022. It had moments where it was largely inconsistent and porous. But it made clutch stops when it needed to down the stretch.

Next year’s group will undoubtedly look different, with a handful of veterans leaving. Set to replace them will be a youthful core that was thrust into action throughout this past season.

Here’s a look at who’s returning to South Carolina’s defense in 2023.

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EDGE

The Gamecocks have taken a lot of hits at the edge position in recent weeks. Jordan Burch, Gilber Edmond and Hot Rod Fitten all entered the transfer portal and won’t be coming back.

It’s also unclear if Jordan Strachan, who’s coming off an ACL injury, will return. He would need a medical waiver approved by the NCAA. Shane Beamer mentioned during the regular season the Gamecocks are optimistic will be back in 2023.

That leaves South Carolina with a group needing some work.

Terrell Dawkins, who was supposed to be a big pickup from the portal, battled injuries all year. He only took 29 snaps and appeared in three games with three tackles.

Tyreek Johnson is the longest-tenured edge rusher on the roster right now. He’s been with the Gamecocks since 2019. He played sparingly in his first three seasons but saw more action last year. He made 10 tackles in 12 games.

Then there’s young freshman Bryan Thomas Jr. He appeared in 10 games last season but only recorded stats in two of them. He’s got some promise as a speedy rusher but he’ll need more reps to see what he can do.

With thin depth, there is an opportunity for a swath of young talent to earn snaps early.

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Defensive tackle

It’s going to be tough to fill the voids left by Zacch Pickens and MJ Webb. Pickens was a team captain and leader of the defensive line. Webb, who’s out of eligibility, logged 291 snaps and made three starts. His best outing came in the Gator Bowl, where he made eight tackles.

There will be eight players slated to return for South Carolina. Tonka Hemingway comes back for his senior year as the potential breakout candidate nationally. He played the most snaps amongst his peers with 728, making nine starts. He recorded 33 tackles and three sacks.

Behind Pickens, Webb and Hemingway was a carousel of players looking to get on the field. It’s going to be a battle for the other interior spot next to Hemingway, presumably.

Boogie Huntley and TJ Sanders each saw more than 350 snaps last season. Huntley made three starts, recording 21 tackles and one sack. While Sanders made zero starts, he made 16 tackles in 12 games.

After not logging any stats two years ago, Nick Barrett could be a name to watch for moving forward. He played 239 snaps as a true sophomore and made 14 tackles. His play of the season came in the Gator Bowl, where he caught a tipped ball for an interception midway through the third quarter.

There were four freshmen who barely saw any playing time in 2022. It doesn’t come as a huge surprise with the large veteran presence. They’ll get to redshirt and fight for more reps next season.

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Linebacker

There’s going to be some shifting at linebacker next year with sixth-year starters Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson departing. But there should be some viable replacements at the ready.

Despite only making two starts in two years, Debo Williams has been solid for South Carolina. He finished with 43 tackles, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble in 13 games. He will compete for a starting job in 2023.

There was a lot of excitement about many of the freshmen on the defense. Stone Blanton was one of the biggest. He only made seven tackles, but he earned more playing time as the season continued.

Another player who was impactful for depth was former JUCO product Bam Martin-Scott. In his second year at South Carolina, he made at least one tackle in nine games. He also forced a fumble, deflected four passes and had one interception.

Earlier in the season, Shane Beamer spoke highly about the production from his young linebackers.

“Those young guys bring size and physicality to the group that we need, and they’re making Brad and Sherrod better cause Brad and Sherrod aren’t able to sit there and just get complacent,” he said. “I mean, these young guys are coming along and pushing them, and we need to continue to get Bam and Stone and Debo in there.”

It might be easy to forget that Mo Kaba should be back as well. He entered as a starter this past year, playing in two games. But an ACL injury derailed his season before it really got underway. Kaba, if healthy, will come back as the Gamecocks’ starter in 2023.

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Defensive back

South Carolina will be losing three starters — Cam Smith, Darius Rush and Devonni Reed — to the NFL Draft and expiring eligibility. Losing them hurts, as they’ll be hard to replace. Because there were so many injuries at defensive back, younger players received playing time and got a clear look in games.

One of the keys to the Gamecocks’ season was the impact of freshmen Nick Emmanwori and DQ Smith. Emmanwori was named a freshman All-American and led the team in tackles. Smith, who started 11 games, made 54 tackles and returned an interception for a touchdown against Notre Dame in the Gator Bowl.

Emmanwori will be stationed at strong safety while Smith should man free safety.

While many veterans won’t be back, Marcellas Dial will return. He announced that he’ll be back for one more year. He had a nice season at cornerback, finishing with a team-high three interceptions and 15 pass deflections. It’ll be his position to lead with Smith and Rush no longer in the fold.

David Spaulding saw his season cut short with a foot injury. But he’ll be back next year to contend for a starting spot. He saw 172 snaps before going down, making seven tackles, forcing a fumble and intercepting one pass.

After a big interception for a 100-yard score in the Gator Bowl, O’Donnell Fortune could find the field more often in the new season. The redshirt sophomore played 290 snaps.

The remainder of the defensive backs room consists of players who found little to no playing time. But if 2023 is anything like its predecessor, more players could step up and make an impact.

Keenan Nelson had a quality performance in the bowl and South Carolina is excited about its young core of defensive backs: Nelson, Emory Floyd Jr., Anthony Rose, Kajuan Banks and Peyton Williams.

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