Nick Emmanwori named Midseason Freshman All-American by On3
South Carolina was approximately eight defensive snaps into its 2022 season before Nick Emmanwori started making an impact and the freshman from nearby Irmo High School has not looked back.
The former four-star started the season as a second-team safety but entered the game when R.J. Roderick was injured on the first defensive drive of the Gamecocks’ season opener and then has started the next five games, rarely leaving the field except for in “garbage time’ situations.
Emmanwori’s play has not only been noticed locally but he’s also starting to make a national name for himself, landing a spot earlier this week on the On3 2022 Midseason True Freshman All-American Team.
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On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings Charles Power, who put together the list, has been high on Emmanwori since he began emerging as a rising senior in high school and remains so:
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Nick Emmanwori has been an early season bright spot on South Carolina’s defense. The true freshman safety’s 31 solo tackles are more than double the next Gamecock defender. Emmanwori has played more snaps than any player on South Carolina’s defense and lines up at both free safety and in the box. He’s an athletic, big defender at 6-foot-4, 218 pounds and rarely misses tackles.
As local prospect from nearby Irmo, South Carolina, Emmanwori earned an offer from South Carolina after a strong performance at the Gamecocks’ summer camp. He steadily rose in On3’s rankings on the heels of a huge senior season and ultimately finished as the No. 121 overall prospect in the On300 and South Carolina’s top-ranked signee.
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Emmanwori also leads the team in tackles with 37 total and has a pass breakup.
He has also taken the most defensive snaps on the team this season, having logged 365 reps according to PFF.
How ESPN’s FPI sees the last half of the season going
By Collyn Taylor
The bye week came at the right time for South Carolina.
Not only do the Gamecocks have a week to get healthy before a pivotal stretch of games, but the open date also comes right at the midway point of the season.
That gives everyone a chance to take a deep breath and evaluate things exactly halfway through the 2022 season. Here’s a chance to see what’s next on the schedule based on ESPN’s FPI metrics.
