Shane Beamer updates Cason Henry's recovery
South Carolina redshirt freshman Cason Henry didn’t get the chance to show what he could do this spring as he missed all 15 practices while recovering from a knee injury.
But as the Gamecocks close in on the start of preseason camp next week, the second-year offensive tackle may quickly become one of the most important players on the roster as they try to determine their top five — and beyond — on the offensive line.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, speaking at the Birdies with Beamer golf outing on Wednesday afternoon, said he spoke to Henry about his health earlier this week at a team bowling outing.
“I was watching him bowl and was sitting there talking with him and I asked him that question, where are you right now and he said he is at 85 percent right now,” Beamer said. “I said, ‘What are you going to be when we play North Carolina?’ He said, ‘100 (percent).’”
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Henry was one of five South Carolina players who missed the entirety of the spring while continuing to recover from previous injuries.
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The 6-foot-6, 300-pounder was able to maintain his redshirt status last season while playing in two games and regularly traveling with the team.
“He looks good,” Beamer said. “Did miss spring practice but he is doing pretty much everything in our summer workouts, and we need him to be healthy and stay healthy. He can be a critical guy for us on the offensive line. He has made a lot of progress. Maybe a little bit limited when we start practice but not by much. Let’s just continue to progress him as we get closer to the North Carolina game.”
Henry has primarily worked at right tackle during his first year on campus and should compete for the starting spot there. The Gamecocks’ overall tackle depth has also been affected by the loss of left tackle Jaylen Nichols, who was injured in the spring game.
Beamer said during SEC Media Days last week that the Gamecocks will go into camp relatively healthy.
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“Everybody should be good,” Beamer said. “Now, we may have a couple of the guys coming off surgeries from last year — Jordan Strachan and Mo Kaba — they may be a little bit limited at the beginning of preseason practice but they’ll still be able they’ll be able to practice and everybody should be 100 percent by Game 1.”
Strachan and Kaba both suffered severe, season-ending knee injuries in Week 2 of last year.
