Gamecocks Defense Preview

The Gamecocks defense, much like the offense, will be counting on newcomers to come in and start or play meaningful snaps in 2024. Unlike the offense, however, the defense has much of the starting unit back including future NFL players at each of the three levels. There are some question marks for this defense for sure, but also a lot to be excited about. Let’s get into our positional-focused preview of the Gamecocks defense.

I’ve mentioned this before but SEC games are won in the trenches so we’re going to start along the defensive front.

Tonka Hemingway is the team’s leader and will prove to be the cornerstone of the defense in 2024. As the coaches intend to alternate between three-man (3-3-5) and four-man (4-2-5) fronts, Hemingway’s premium versatility makes this group stand out from the average.

Next to Hemingway along the interior, we see a nice mix of veterans with TJ Sanders, Alex Huntley and transfer DeAndre Jules. Keep an eye on how often these guys rotate snaps throughout the ball game.

Along the edge spot, transfers Kyle Kennard and Gilber Edmond (who is back at South Carolina after a year at Florida State) were critical signees who will lock in the starting spots in the four-man (4-2-5) front. How often the coaches switch from the four-man to three-man front will impact the rotation behind Kennard and Edmond, and look for veteran Bryan Thomas to make the most of his snaps as a rotational player.

Challenging all three aforementioned edge players for playing time and likely a starting spot at some point in the season is true freshman Dylan Stewart. Tabbed as the best defensive end signee since my teammate Jadeveon Clowney, Stewart is the real-deal who will prove to be too good to keep off of the field. The challenge will be for coaches to maximize his usage beyond just a rotational pass rusher on third downs. That may have been the case for Clowney his freshman year but he was playing in a defensive end group with future NFLers Melvin Ingram and Devin Taylor.

The linebackers will be the most improved unit for this year’s defense as they’ve upgraded in one key area: speed. Bam Martin-Scott and transfer Demetrius Knight, both of whom have been clocked running at over 20-miles-per-hour in offseason drills, will be starters in 3-3-5 personnel. They’re led by veteran Debo Williams whose experience getting his teammates in position will be pivotal as the unit switches between three and four-man fronts. Also keep an eye on true freshman Fred Johnson who was one of my top five favorite high school signings this past year.

The secondary is where I have my most concern for this year’s defense. We're going to see Nickel personnel as the primary set throughout the season, regardless of the combination at line and linebacker. 

At corner, who’s going to step up opposite O’Donnell Fortune? The coaches were unable to solidify this position in the transfer portal but there’s also optimism in the young, unproven guys on the roster. Expect Judge Collier, Vicari Swain and Emory Floyd to get meaningful snaps in week one against Old Dominion before the coaches fine-tune the rotation in week two at Kentucky. I think the guy who wins the job will ultimately be the one who plays sound, disciplined football rather than the best pure athlete or playmaker.

In a five-man secondary, the Nickel and Safety relationship is key. These guys will essentially form a triangle locking down the coverage of the back of the defense. If there’s a deficiency in one of these three spots, it will create big gaps in coverage. 

To me, the best two safeties on the team are Nick Emmanwori, whom I compared to Kam Chancellor in a previous article, and Jalon Kilgore, who is coming off a freshman All-American campaign where he played Nickel. This duo would make for the best safety duo at South Carolina since DJ Swearinger and DeVonte Holloman.

The coaches will only be able to move Kilgore to safety from nickel if true freshman Jalewis Solomon comes in ready to play. Much of the performance of the Nickel relies on high athleticism and instincts but has lesser responsibilities than the safeties, which is why you’ll often see freshmen come in and play right away here. The Gamecocks have had a long line of examples here and recent freshmen Nickel include Kilgore, Jammie Robinson and Jaycee Horn. Not a bad list… and Solomon could be next up.

If Kilgore doesn’t move to safety, then veteran DQ Smith will lock in the spot opposite Emmanwori. Smith is a good athlete with plenty of experience and should benefit from better linebacker play in front of him this season. 

Also in the mix at safety and nickel are veteran David Spaulding, Peyton Williams, true freshman Kelvin Hunter, and transfer Gerald Kilgore, the brother of Jalon.

While there are some moving pieces and question marks about the defense, I find comfort and confidence in knowing there are future NFL players at all three levels. This gives the coaches the ability to construct the strategy, personnel groupings, and play-calling to keep the Gamecocks in winning position throughout 2024. It will just come down to consistency and which players step-up. 

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