Gamecocks assistant sees NFL promise in USC veteran. ‘He can be special for us’

South Carolina defensive line coach John Scott Jr. got a taste of NFL football.

Looking down his résumé, those years with the New York Jets pop out. He found his way back to the college ranks — now he can bring that time with NFL All-Pros to his college charges and on the recruiting trail.

And one player the Gamecocks have right now would not have looked out of place in an NFL locker room: D.J. Wonnum.

“I was with the Jets for two years,” Scott said, “and when I look at his body type, I look at his athleticism. He was better than some of the guys I felt like that we had up there.”

There, Scott worked with the likes of Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams and Muhammad Wilkerson.

Wonnum might have had a chance to head to the draft early last offseason, but he had a foot injury at the start of the year and an aggravated ankle injury to end his season.

In the five games he played, really closer to four with the injuries, he posted a pair of sacks, one vital against Tennessee, plus 11 tackles, 3 1/2 for loss.

The 6-foot-5, 260-pounder was projected to be one of the team’s defensive anchors last season. He’d had 57 tackles and six sacks as a true sophomore.

Without Wonnum, the team had to first play 230-pound linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams at Buck, and then lineman Brad Johnson had to manage the position nearly entirely by himself.

Now Wonnum comes back, eyes trained on recapturing his former role and getting the Gamecocks back to the level they were at in 2017 when the defense took a major step forward. He’ll be playing ahead of Johnson, versatile veteran Daniel Fennell and freshman Rodricus Fitten.

But USC has one of its stars back, a player who came in as an underrated recruit and with a year to go is reminding his coaches of NFL talent.

“D.J. Wonnum is a really good player,” Scott said. “He’s a special guy. He can set the edge for us. He can rush the passer.

“I think he’s got a lot of potential. He can be special for us.”