He waited a long time to join the Gamecocks, now he has to learn a new position

Tyreek Johnson went from waiting to the middle of things for South Carolina football.

The former Lakewood High School defensive end was recruited by the Gamecocks as part of the 2017 class, but a shoulder injury led to a greyshirt semester and enrolling last December. As a high school player, he played on the outside, and there was some level of expectation he’d fit at USC’s bigger end spot.

Yet this spring, he’s working as a defensive tackle, part of the long-term plan from USC’s staff.

“We kind of projected him in there,” Gamecocks defensive line coach Lance Thompson said. “But he’s naturally strong and he’s a tough guy. He’s just green. He has to get some reps, get some turns and get developed.”

He’s not the only player making that change, as four-star defensive end Kingsley Enagbare is also working at tackle.

Gamecocks coaches have regularly said the learning curve is steeper the closer one gets to the ball. This spring has provided a kind of education for Johnson.

“When you’re playing inside, it’s not like you’re playing in your underwear outside,” Thompson said. “When you might not hit anybody all day. You’re getting hit every play, and sometimes you’re getting hit by two of them jokers. It’s a little different getting hit by someone from Lakewood High School and somebody getting hit by somebody in the SEC. Donell Stanley and big Zack Bailey. Those two guys will pound you.”

Johnson looked to be holding his own Wednesday morning, when he appeared to win a few reps in a toughness drill at the start of practice (twice he went against a second-year lineman).

Thompson said Johnson’s change, and Enagbare’s, are part of the way this staff has to recruit defensive linemen. The coaches look for players with potential to add weight and project forward to fill them out.

“We’ve got to recruit guys who have frames,” Thompson said. “And then we have to develop them with our nutrition program and our weight room and develop them technique-wise as football players.”

Johnson, who had 72 tackles, 22 for loss, six blocked kicks and five sacks as a senior, certainly boasts the frame, as one look will tell you he’s an imposing presence. Thompson said Johnson weighs 264 pounds at the moment.

But there’s room for more.

“I think he’s a guy, with his frame and his legs and hips and stuff, I think he can be a 285-290 pounder and carry it well,” Thompson said.

This story was originally published March 22, 2018 at 1:18 PM with the headline "He waited a long time to join the Gamecocks, now he has to learn a new position."