Three Breakout Gamecocks From The 2022 Season

South Carolina took a step forward in the 2022 season and did so in part due to the breakout season performances of multiple players.

Head coach Shane Beamer's squad trumped national expectations in 2022 to have a season of such magnitude. 

There usually must be a few players who make a much greater impact than they've made in years past. For South Carolina, they saw this in all three phases of the game.

MarShawn Lloyd

Lloyd was a trendy pick to break out for South Carolina in the preseason. While he dealt with a deep thigh bruise and questionable utilization in the first three games, Lloyd fulfilled those expectations.

He was a big reason South Carolina ended their losing streak against Kentucky and Texas A&M and made a highlight reel reminiscent of what he was doing before his ACL injury back in the fall of 2020.

Tonka Hemingway

In terms of players who made multiple game-altering plays this season, no player did more than defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway. Hemingway was a game wrecker on the interior, using his plus athleticism to blow up run plays and make life miserable for guards in pass protection.

Throw in some fumble recoveries in the Kentucky and Texas A&M contests, converting a 2-point special teams trick play and catching a pass like a wide receiver against Vanderbilt. It's safe to say he has become a do-it-all player for South Carolina.

Mitch Jeter

If there was any player who arguably had the biggest shoes to fill heading into this season, it was South Carolina's kicker Mitch Jeter. The North Carolina native was taking over for his predecessor, Parker White, who had become the school's all-time leader in career points over the past five seasons for South Carolina.

Jeter could've let this burden him but instead embraced the expectation of being the next great Gamecock kicker. He would make all of his extra point and field goal attempts, including the go-ahead field goal against the arch-rival Clemson Tigers, which helped South Carolina end their seven-game losing skid in the Palmetto Bowl.

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