National analyst: Gamecocks defense in position to surprise
The 2018 football season was not a banner one for South Carolina’s defense.
Things looked a bit uneven in an opening blowout, then Georgia rolled over them. The group handed a surprisingly feisty Vanderbilt offense its worst day of the season, but between getting punished on the ground early by Kentucky and mounting injuries, things certianly slipped.
It was objectively a step back from a group that had been solid in 2017, but CBS Sports analyst Barrett Sallee thinks the pieces are in place for a turnaround. He had a simple thesis for Will Muschamp’s group.
“This is finally his defense,” emphasis on his.
“It has taken three full recruiting cycles, but coach Will Muschamp finally has the depth and versatility up front on defense that he has been hoping to gain,” Sallee wrote. “Javon Kinlaw and Kobe Smith should be forces in the middle of the defensive line, Kier Thomas is a veteran who will play a ton, and Zacch Pickens is a five-star stud who appears to be primed for an immediate impact. Kinlaw and Thomas were banged up a bit this spring, which gave some valuable reps to players who will be counted on in the rotation. Add in veteran D.J. Wonnum at the hybrid defensive end/linebacker spot, and this could be one of the surprise units in the SEC.”
Kinlaw was slowed by a hip injury, but managed to post 4 1/2 sacks and 10 tackles for loss as a junior. Smith and Thomas, who can also play end, posted some solid tackle numbers, and Smith showed a little more than expected in the pass-rush department.
Wonnum only played in five games, and missed parts of those, but managed 3 1/2 tackles for loss and two sacks after 13 and six his sophomore season.
That’s to say nothing of two former four-star true sophomores who had to play a lot last season in Rick Sandidge and Kingsley Enagbare.
If that line, which has six former blue chip recruits, can play to its potential, it might change the dynamics of things in the back seven. USC’s linebackers had their share of issues at times. The secondary has some of the pieces to be pretty strong, but needs a few more players to step up.
Having a stronger line would help on both fronts. The Gamecocks ranked 101st in how often they got to quarterback against FBS teams. More than 53 percent of the runs against USC went for 5 or more yards, a number that ranked 119th in the country.
Muschamp has said multiple times his line finally looks like he wants it to. Now comes the challenge of translating that to a stronger overall unit.
This story was originally published May 6, 2019 at 12:01 PM.