‘Really competitive’: Breaking down two promising USC freshman defenders at key spot

South Carolina football assistant Kyle Krantz has to manage a key position in the defense.

This year, he’ll have a few pieces to work with.

The Gamecocks are only one day into practice, but working with some different options at the nickel/slot corner spot he coaches. Friday for Day 1, the crew included Jaycee Horn, R.J. Roderick, A.J. Turner, Shilo Sanders and Jammie Robinson.

Horn played the role last year, while the staff talked about moving Roderick, the top safety, there in the spring. Turner is a former running back dabbling on defense.

And Krantz, in his second season as the team’s 10th assistant, gave his analysis Friday on the two newcomers.

On freshman Jammie Robinson: “He’s really competitive. He’s got heavy hands. He can cover and he’s smart. He’s shown the ability to learn nickel and safety, and that’s a good skill to have in our defense.”

On freshman Shilo Sanders: “Really competitive, heavy-handed, wants to do well, wants to be successful. He’s got a lot of traits for a successful DB.”

In the morning practice for a brief glimpse during a drill, Sanders lined up at outside corner, while both Robinson and Roderick were put closer to the box.

Gamecocks head coach Will Muschamp started spring by saying the secondary, especially those nickel and safety spots, could be quite fluid. Horn and Roderick often play safety and corner, respectively, and Robinson will likely try both safety and nickel.

Krantz said intelligence and tackling made a difference in Horn earning the job as a true freshman, and the staff is looking for similar skills from one or more players to hold it down again.

“Of course, you’d love to have one steady guy,” Krantz said. “But at the end of the day, we’re going to put our best five on the field that give us a chance to win every week. And sometimes that may require two guys. So we’re going to find a way to get our best people on the field in order to be successful.”

This story was originally published August 2, 2019 at 11:44 AM.