5 true freshmen who will play for South Carolina in 2018

South Carolina's football staff has not been shy about playing true freshmen in its first two seasons on campus. That's unlikely to change with more than a few four stars coming in with the 2018 class.

Here are some who might play larger roles in Year 1:

Defensive back R.J. Roderick — Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp has said as much, as the former quarterback is as well-built (6-foot, 207 pounds) a true freshman as you’ll find. At the least, he’ll be a factor on special teams, and he could be a factor at an unproven safety spot if his defensive development comes along.

Defensive tackle Rick Sandidge — He’s a highly rated lineman with size at a spot South Carolina could use more bodies. At the moment, USC has starters Javon Kinlaw and Keir Thomas, with junior college transfer Jabari Ellis and last year’s No. 4, Kobe Smith, also fighting for snaps. Sandidge can provide disruption at 280 pounds.

Defensive lineman Kingsley Enagbare — Another player Muschamp has said will have a role his first season, Enagbare has already undergone some transformation. He was recruited as a big defensive end, but was quickly moved to tackle at just short of 260 pounds. He's now 285. He impressed the staff in spring and could add something to the pass rush.

Wide receiver Josh Vann — He didn’t enroll early, and he’s joining a pretty stacked position group alongside Deebo Samuel, Shi Smith, OrTre Smith and Bryan Edwards, but his talents are pretty dynamic (he picked USC over Georgia). In high school, he averaged 19.8 yards a catch, with 25 scores on 109 catches, and he’ll likely find some role, especially considering this coaching staff hasn’t been shy about playing first-year pass-catchers.

Linebacker Rosendo Louis — He has all the size you’d want at 6-foot-2, 242 pounds and, according to his position coach, is a “240-pound grown man who hits everything that moves.” He was working in the middle behind T.J. Brunson in the spring, and with Sherrod Greene working at a couple spots, he’d be next in line at the heart of USC’s defense.

This story was originally published July 11, 2018 at 9:51 PM.