A secondary that tackles and is physical? Yes, please, Muschamp says
The person who posed the question to South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp almost immediately got the pushback, just for dropping the idea.
He made the mistake of implying South Carolina’s corners have been physical in their tackling.
“Our guys? Physical? At corner? Come on man,” Muschamp said. “I don’t know about that.”
South Carolina’s secondary has been solid the past two seasons doing what’s asked, preventing big plays and forcing offenses to work down the field. But there were moments when corner tackling, or issues with it, came to the forefront, either in highlights or in the coach’s commentary.
“Tackling and being physical would be welcomed by the head coach,” Muschamp said.
It likely will be welcomed as USC turns over several spots in the back end of its defense. Gone is Jamarcus King, who started nearly two full seasons. Gone is safety Chris Lammons, whose tackling Muschamp had been hard on in 2016 but he showed well after a late position change.
Corner Rashad Fenton is still around after breaking out last fall. Former Texas A&M corner Nick Harvey projects to bookend him on the other side. Jamyest Williams, who was quick but sometimes got absorbed by bigger blockers at 5-foot-9, 182 pounds moved from nickel to safety, and the more sturdy Keisean Nixon (5-foot-10, 193) slides into that nickel spot.
Steven Montac, who Muschamp singled out as, arguably, the best hitter and most consistent safety in the group, likely will end up in a starting role, but more notable is the influx of players joining the group. Safety Jaylin Dickerson, who might have started last season but for a shoulder injury, is back. So is corner Tavyn Jackson after a hamstring injury.
The freshmen include Jaycee Horn, a tall, 195-pound corner, hard-hitting safety Jonathan Gipson, 6-foot-4 safety-turned-corner Israel Mukuamu and stocky former quarterback R.J. Roderick. Muschamp also spoke highly of Rice grad transfer J.T. Ibe’s physicality.
The Gamecocks pass defense the past few years has excelled in a few areas. It’s been among the best in the country in preventing big plays (perhaps at the cost of some third-down issues). It’s locked down in the red zone. It’s been among the best in the land at forcing turnovers.
And Muschamp is looking for a little more in one area.
“You’ve got to be able to play man-to-man,” Muschamp said. “In our league, you’re going to have to get some deny-the-ball downs. Or you’ve got to man up and play man coverage. Being able to play from the ball and play with zone instincts. That’s going to be very important as well. Capitalize on opportunities to create turnovers. We need to be an opportunistic team. T-Rob and our defensive staff have done a fantastic job the past two years emphasizing turnovers, creating momentum plays for our football team.”
This story was originally published July 24, 2018 at 9:52 PM.