No chance to watch: New USC D-linemen will have to contribute

South Carolina defensive line coach Lance Thompson has said learning the ropes at defensive line is some of the hardest work for a young college football player.

There’s no space, no time for the play to develop, no running someone out of the picture and never making contact. On the line a collision is all but guaranteed, and the fruits of years in the weight room are often most evident in the trenches.

But he might not have the choice to work his new guys in.

“We’ve got to count on somebody,” Thompson said. “They know, that’s why they came. There’s an opportunity. They’re not going to be sitting on the sideline.”

His group added tackle Javon Kinlaw, a four-star Goose Creek product who spent a year in junior college, end Aaron Sterling and four-star signee M.J. Webb, who could probably play both spots but will start at tackle after enrolling during bowl practice last December.

At the moment, the Gamecocks only have four players in that room who played more than 65 snaps last season. Those are starting tackles Ulric Jones and Taylor Stallworth, Dante Sawyer, who projects as a presumptive starter at end, and Keir Thomas, who was an undersized rotation tackle and is now moving to end.

Last season, USC wasn’t shy playing young guys up front, as Thomas saw a notable role, Kobe Smith got a smattering of snaps, and over at Buck, D.J. Wonnum was the first option off the bench. But that line also struggled, and to avoid that, a new batch of new faces will have to step in.

“They’re going to get their practice reps,” Thompson said. “They’ve got to show what they can do, they want to learn. We don’t have any other choices.”

This story was originally published July 21, 2017 at 4:18 PM with the headline "No chance to watch: New USC D-linemen will have to contribute."