Nick Emmanwori one of On3's 'true freshman standouts from Week 1'
South Carolina freshman safety Nick Emmanwori had quite the debut on Saturday and Gamecock football fans aren’t the only ones who have taken notice.
On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power, who was extremely high on Emmanwori out of high school, Tuesday listed the former Irmo standout as one of his “true freshman standouts from Week 1 of college football.”
Special: Get one year of Gamecock Central for $10 or one month for $1!
Here’s what Power had to say about the Gamecocks emerging playmaker:
Nick Emmanwori was pressed into action early on in South Carolina‘s 35-14 win over Georgia State. The true freshman was expected to play, but an injury to starting safety R.J. Roderick resulted in Emmanwori playing 65 snaps – tied for the most on the Gamecock defense. He more than answered the bell. Emmanwori lined up all over the field, seeing nearly an equal number of snaps at free safety, in the slot and in the box, per Pro Football Focus. The Columbia area native made a key stop on 4th and short early in the game. He also broke up passes both times he was targeted in coverage, while adding three tackles.
On3 was higher than the industry on Emmanwori out of high school, as he ranked as the No. 121 overall prospect in the On300. He showed to be a high level athlete in multiple settings, including South Carolina’s camp where he posted strong testing results at 6-foot-3, 210-pounds. The ascent carried over to his senior season, where Emmanwori was among the more productive defenders in the cycle, racking up 166 tackles and 17 tackles for a loss from his linebacker spot – in addition to showing the play speed to run with receivers downfield. Even with the bevy of positive indicators, Emmanwori looks to be ahead of schedule early on in his career at South Carolina.
Sign up to receive South Carolina football breaking news and in-depth analysis via email
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer was equally impressed.
“I’ve been telling you guys about Nick Emmanwori from Irmo and y’all saw that tonight,” Beamer said after the game. “Nick had to be in a lot earlier than what we expected and wow for a true freshman to play like that in game one…excited to watch him continue to get better.”
Emmanwori collected three tackles and two stops and two pass break ups.
