TJ Sanders looking for improvement, expanded leadership role in 2023

For much of his life before coming to South Carolina, TJ Sanders was a two-sport athlete.

At Marion (S.C.) High School, Sanders impressed on the gridiron, ranking eighth in the state in On3’s class of 2021 rankings.

He was also a key contributor to the Swamp Foxes’ basketball team, averaging a double-double per game on his way to winning the 6-3A Player of the Year award as a junior.

Sanders still plays basketball on occasion, shooting around with his defensive lineman teammates in the offseason. This season, his sole focus is on football – specifically improving his game and becoming a leader within his positional group.

“When TJ first got here, he hadn’t played a lot of football – I think maybe two years,” position coach Jimmy Lindsey said. “He understands what a release is now. He understands when he makes a mistake or doesn’t play a technique the right way, what were the issues that caused him not to play it the right way.”

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The redshirt sophomore defensive tackle has slowly become a more important piece of the South Carolina defense.

Sanders appeared in two games his freshman year but did not record a statistic in either contest. After earning a redshirt, he totaled 16 tackles, one sack and one pass defended over 12 games this past season.

While Sanders’ on-field contributions have been limited, defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey coach has seen him demonstrate tremendous growth.

Sanders said his growth and experience has helped him become more adept at understanding South Carolina’s defensive system.

“I think just my ability to pick up on plays is much faster than usual,” Sanders said. “I’ve always been a quick learner in the playbook. Now, being in the same system three years, I feel like everything’s flowing how it’s supposed to.”

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As Sanders continues to grow, Lindsey said he has shown flashes of developing into a future leader on the team.

“He understands now (that Zacch Pickens is) gone, so he is also helping Boogie (Huntley) and Tonka (Hemingway) bring those young guys along,” Lindsey said. “I hear him in position meetings – if a young guy messes up on a play or something, (he says), “Hey, you didn’t do this. You didn’t do that. You need to do this.’”

Sanders said the loss of Pickens–who is off to professional football–has not dampened the positional unit’s mood heading into the fall.

“Losing Zacch was definitely a hit to the group, but I don’t think that’s really demoralized anyone in that group,” Sanders said. “We know what time it is. People have to step up. Younger guys have to step up and continue getting better. Myself, I need to continue getting better.”

This offseason, Sanders said one of the areas of his game he has focused on improving is his consistency.

“I feel like I could have been way more consistent than I was last season in the run, in the pass,” Sanders said. “I just feel like I could be all-around better.”

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Being “all-around better” is also a goal the defensive line as a whole hopes to accomplish in 2023. Last year, South Carolina ranked 13th in the SEC in run defense, allowing 192.4 yards on the ground per game.

Sanders said he has seen improvement in the team’s positional awareness thus far in spring practices.

“People are now really getting on the same page. Knowing their assignment, knowing their alignment, knowing everything they have on a certain play,” Sanders said. “No one’s really out there lost, and I think that’s going to help us in the long run.”

He added that the group will stick with the same “theme” Lindsey has implemented since Sanders joined the team in 2021.

“Nobody wants to play this position. It’s the toughest, hardest, nastiest position on the field. But what it comes down to is all of us being unselfish – knowing what we’re here for, knowing what we got to do for us to win the game,” Sanders said. “I feel like the whole room has been getting it… and overall, I think everyone’s starting to click.”

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