The 7 true freshmen who will play for South Carolina in 2019
Often when South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp gets in front of fans or media, he’ll hammer how many freshmen his team has played the past few years. He’s got a new batch in the 2019 class. These newcomers should see the field this season.
DT Zacch Pickens
He might prove too talented not to see the field. The five-star recruit is now a full 300 pounds, still with the speed of a former defensive end. It’s not yet clear if he’ll steal some goal line carries on offense, but he should carve out some snaps on defense. A season ago he led his high school team in tackles from the defensive line.
CB Cam Smith
He’s a tall player and the highest-rated incoming member of South Carolina’s class. Corner is a little crowded at the top with Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, but USC will roll three corners if the situation requires and both Horn and Mukuamu can chip in elsewhere if depth becomes an issue. Smith is 6-foot-1, ideal to step in for one of them, and had 65 tackles and 16 pass break-ups as a senior.
DB Jammie Robinson
His versatility at positions of need will likely help his case for getting on the field, as will his ability. A former high three-star recruit, Robinson can play safety or nickel, both spots where USC has a boatload of questions (R.J. Roderick was listed as a starting safety and nickel on the preseason depth chart). As a high school senior, the 6-foot, 193-pounder posted 105 tackles, six tackles for loss and two interceptions for a defense that allowed 7.5 points a game.
WR Keveon Mullins
There’s a simple reality that every four-star receiver who has joined Muschamp’s program at South Carolina has been at worst the team’s No. 4 wideout. The depth is a little bit better than in past years, but not so much that Mullins, who had 24 catches for 500 yards with nine touchdowns in nine games for a state runner-up as a senior, can’t break through in some way. Another to watch is Xavier Legette, who is arguably more raw but has a lot of ability if he can catch up quickly.
DL Joseph Anderson
This final spot might go to Derek Boykins, but he’s stuck behind two of the linebackers the staff seems to trust and doesn’t appear to have much positional flex. So this goes to Anderson, a four-star player who showed some promise in the spring. He’ll be battling in a crowded field with Aaron Sterling and Kingsley Enagbare, but Anderson can bump inside and USC tends to go very deep on its front line. Anderson posted 60 tackles with 16 tackles for loss and three sacks as a high school senior despite missing some time.
QB Ryan Hilinski
Ryan Hilinski might not play meaningful snaps unless something happens to Jake Bentley. But he’ll almost assuredly play some in Week 2, assuming USC blows out Charleston Southern. That might just be a taste of what he can do.
Kevin Harris
South Carolina has a lot of depth at running back, but everyone around the team had a lot of good things to say about Harris. The powerful back, one of Georgia’s top high school rushers a year ago, slimmed down a bit from the spring. USC has a lot of tailback options in A.J. Turner, Rico Dowdle, Mon Denson and possibly Tavien Feaster. But Harris should be able to see the field at some point.
This story was originally published July 26, 2019 at 10:00 AM.