Dial ready for next step
Two of the South Carolina Gamecocks’ defensive standouts from the 2022 season have now moved on from the NFL in Cam Smith and Darius Rush.
That leaves a significant void in the secondary; Rush was an excellent player at corner and on special teams, and Smith could lock down opposing receivers at nickel or outside corner.
Fortunately for Shane Beamer’s club, Marcellas Dial is there as an experienced player with some proven ability.
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Dial played plenty last season in his second season at USC. He tallied 791 total snaps on the season, according to data from PFF. His highest snap totals came in the final three weeks of the season in wins over Tennessee and Clemson, plus the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame.
The Palmetto State native played alongside the pair last season, seeing snaps both at nickel and outside corner. He made an impact himself, but also observed what made that duo successful.
“I wanted to learn from their mistakes, from the things they did well. With Cam, his play recognition and with Rush, him using his length on his press technique,” Dial said in an exclusive interview for Garnet Trust supporters.
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Dial, who has already graduated, is taking elective classes now that spring football has wrapped and is staying active by working out back in the Upstate with Kevin Washington of You’re Next Training.
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As he prepared to become even more of a focal point in the Gamecocks defense, Dial knew there was a missing ingredient to help him improve his play.
“The next step has been just getting my weight to where I want it,” he said. “Last year I was kind of up and down with it, not where I wanted to play with it. I didn’t feel confident in my weight. I felt like I was too light to be playing int he SEC, and I hear it a lot from my coach, too. I had to make a change to better myself and give myself a better opportunity. With weight comes confidence and strength as well. It will help me take my game to the next level.”
Dial noted that he has put on about 15 pounds of good muscle since the 2022 season.
It’s really just the diet I put myself on, more protein, eat three good meals every day, snacks in between. Then, having a lot of fluids in me. Just being consistent with all that, not missing a meal,” he said.
Even with the departures of Rush and Smith, Dial feels the secondary has an opportunity to be an impactful unit in 2023.
“Our chemistry is really good, we click on all bases,” he said. “So, we’re going to be a real strong group this year.”
