Tonka Hemingway explains why he decided to 'run it back' for a final season at South Carolina

The message was simple yet effective. “Run it back.”

These three words sent shockwaves through Columbia. In the midst of his teammates entering the transfer portal, Tonka Hemingway decided to do something different. He remained loyal. The now fifth-year defensive tackle still has business to take care of at South Carolina and will return for one more season in 2024.

Hemingway had plenty of options after the Gamecocks’ 5-7 season wrapped up last November. He could’ve taken the route of seeking a new opportunity in the portal, like a few of his teammates did. Bigger programs certainly would’ve put offers on the table for his services. But it just wasn’t the right move for him.

“I talked it over with my parents. We talked about some things. But it was more just like I had some nicks and bruises, and I didn’t want to go through that process being banged up a little bit and have any worries,” Hemingway told GamecockCentral. “So I just came back. Staying healthy, trying not to have any nicks or bruises as I go through the season that way I can play a full season without having to worry about anything.”

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He also could’ve entered the NFL Draft. In conversations he had with teams and scouts, they thought highly of him but also knew he had some things to work on.

“They said some pretty good things. We’ve all got stuff we’ve got to work on. You’ve just got to go out there and show them what they wanted to see,” he said. “So it was just a talk with me and my parents, and we just decided what was best.”

So instead of taking up either of those potential options, Hemingway is sticking around for another go at it with the Gamecocks. There are many benefits to his return. He’s now one of the leaders on a defensive line that should be vastly improved in 2024. And he’ll have a great chance to raise his draft stock and showcase more of what he can do.

There are a few items on Hemingway’s to-do list for this year. Outside of winning, he’d like to personally become better as a player. And for him, that’s starts with being able to trust himself more often when he’s on the field.

“In practice, I use a lot of my moves during pass rush. In the games, I kind of set and hesitate,” he explained. “So probably just trusting myself more and being able to use my moves that I work on plenty of times over and over again instead of just going out there and not trusting.”

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There’s also some untapped potential that he has yet to reach, at least in his opinion. Despite the many accomplishments through the first four years of his college career, he knows there’s more in the tank to take his game to the next level.

“I just want to learn how to use my power,” Hemingway said. “I have it, it’s just sometimes I struggle to use it and not know when exactly to use it. I can’t use it every time cause they set on it and everything.”

What does that full and unlimited power look like?

“Running through people, throwing people out the way,” he said. “Just working on my man, staying focused on my person and not trying to get ahead of myself.”

While this is the make-or-break season for Hemingway to solidify himself as a potential pro, it’s also his last go-around as a Gamecock. It’s now becoming the first of many lasts for him as he enters his final first day of fall camp on Friday. But just like everyone else, he’s ready to get going and show why coming back was the right decision.

“Everyone’s excited about the season coming up. Ready to practice, ready to go through all these days,” Hemingway said. “Some days are going to be hard, but we’ve all got to get them through. We’re all just excited. Everyone has been putting in extra work. Seeing everyone put in extra work, everyone talked about we’re ready to go play, ready for the season, ready for the schedule, ready for everything.”

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