Gamecocks' Defense Look To Find Replacements In Spring Practice

South Carolina's Football team has plenty of new faces on the defensive side of the ball and looks to see who can fill in the void left by massive departures.

After returning a bevy of essential contributors on the defensive side of the ball this past offseason, the South Carolina Gamecocks are heading into their third Spring practice slate of the Shane Beamer era with a starting lineup full of question marks. Primarily, these question marks are based not on a lack of talent but more on a lack of experience or lack of bodies at specific spots.

On the defensive front, defensive coordinator Clayton White is replacing five starters, with Zacch Pickens heading onto the NFL, Gilber Edmond and Jordan Burch transferring to different programs, and linebackers Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson exhausting all of their eligibility. Outside of defensive tackle Alex Huntley and edge rusher Jordan Strachan, who's still recovering from an ACL tear he suffered last fall, no other player heading into Spring ball has SEC starting experience.

The edge position, in particular, remains a serious question mark for coach Beamer and his staff, and the next few weeks will be pivotal in terms of trying to develop returners like Bryan Thomas Jr. and Terrell Dawkins while also trying to bring along early enrollee Desmond Umeozulu with the rest of the group. Some would argue that the depth is better this offseason in the linebacker core, with prized signee Grayson "Pup" Howard expected to make a massive impact early on with the team. Also in the mix are younger and older linebackers led by Debo Williams, Mohamed Kaba, and Stone Blanton, who will push each other for significant playing time.

The one unit on the defense that'll help Clayton White breathe a little easier will be the defensive secondary, where the Gamecocks return six defensive backs who started at least one game this past fall. This unit is expected to be led by freshman all-American Nick Emmanwori, who went from being a backup in week one to the team's leading tackler by season's end in 2022. The specific position group to watch here is the cornerback spot, where Torrian Gray will have multiple lineup options to tinker with, bringing back veterans in O'Donnell Fortune, Marcellas Dial, David Spaulding, and DQ Smith. That's not including future summer enrollee Vicari Swain, who could challenge for snaps early on with his superb combination of athleticism and ball skills.

This Spring will be vital for South Carolina's defensive coaching staff to see which defenders can consistently step up.

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