TJ Sanders ready to take another step for South Carolina up front
It didn’t take long for South Carolina defensive tackle TJ Sanders to get his welcome to the SEC moment.
The redshirt freshman who didn’t log snaps in 2021 was on the field during the Gamecocks’ trip to Arkansas and found himself chipped by the tackle only to get hit by the center while he was being blocked by the guard.
“Next thing I know, I’m on the ground. I was definitely getting ping-ponged around. I’m like, ‘OK, it’s grown man football out here,’” Sanders said. “I feel like that helped me get to the place I’m at now. I never want to be at that place again.”
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It was an eye-opening moment for a young defensive lineman, who used that moment to turn in a quality redshirt freshman season and now looks to build on it.
Sanders finished with 16 tackles, one said and a pass breakup for the Gamecocks with a chance to take another step forward as a redshirt sophomore.
With Zacch Pickens off to NFL pastures, Sanders is a prime candidate to fill that role and play a significantly increased role under new defensive line coach Travian Robertson.
“I feel like I learned there are multiple levels I could hit. My work has to show for itself to get me there. We don’t have all the time in the world,” Sanders said. “I’ve seen guys come in here and leave. I just have to go on the field and produce.”
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Sanders–who is still relatively new to football after a long basketball career–has another gear to get to and Robertson has talked to him about that.
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The goal now for him is to get in the backfield and start making those off-script, negative plays that throw a wrench into an opponent’s game plan.
“I can up those sack numbers and bring more TFLs and negative plays,” Sanders said. “Trying to get off the field faster.”
That’s the next step for Sanders and the defensive line as a whole, a group that flashed last season but struggled sometimes to stop the run and get off the field.
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Heading into the season, those are the things Robertson is harping on.
“He talks a lot about what we did last year and things we can grow upon. We have to cut down on defensive snaps. We don’t need to be out there 80 plays,” Sanders said. “Creating those negative plays start that. Those sacks come in bunches. We have to find our groove as a team and get this thing rolling.”
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He’ll do it with a relatively young albeit talented group of interior defensive linemen. The Gamecocks have four-star Xzavier McLeod to pair with Nick Barrett, Elijah Davis and others.
“One thing I like most about us is no one is scared of the moment…I feel like none of the young guys are afraid of the moment,” Sanders said. “I feel like everyone has that it factor about them. We’re not worried about the outside noise. We hear it all. But we’re not worried about any of that. We’re here to work and the work will show itself.”
