The voice of experience, NFL background helping guide incoming four-star Gamecock
The last few months haven’t included much structure for South Carolina football signees like Tonka Hemingway.
The coronavirus pandemic shut down high schools. A part of the year coaching staff’s often have to ride out, hoping players stay up on conditioning, suddenly became a stretch where 70 percent of players didn’t even have gym access or even a normal daily schedule.
But Hemingway had something in his corner: experienced guidance.
“My brother played in college and taught me a lot,” Hemingway said. “And my dad has just been staying on me about lifting and eating right.”
His brother, Junior, played at Michigan and then in the NFL. His father, Kenneth, has already seen three other kids go off to play college sports across two decades.
So as he was waiting for the chance to enroll, which comes Monday, June 1, Tonka Hemingway wasn’t in position to slack off.
The soft-spoken 259-pounder said people around his hometown of Conway had been opening weight rooms up for him to sneak in lifts. He was working off a booklet the staff gave him both on the workout and nutrition side.
His dad joked about how pricey it’s been to keep him fed on the program’s diet plan and how much time is going into that.
“We pretty much get up in the morning, make sure his breakfast is right,” Kenneth Hemingway said. “Make sure his snack and lunch and dinner are cooked and right. My wife, she does all that stuff, makes sure it’s done.
“It’s been good. It’s cost us, but it’s been good.”
Tonka Hemingway said he’s been focusing on a blend of running and lifting, blending body-weight exercises such as push-ups and sit-ups.
At the moment, he projects to join the team’s big defensive end position, alongside the likes of Kingsley Enagbare, Aaron Sterling and former four-star Joseph Anderson.
Last season, Tonka Hemingway put up four sacks, 24 tackles for loss and 92 total tackles on a defense that struggled at times (he also punted). With his build, he could perhaps also see some time at tackle.
“It’s very versatile,” Tonka Hemingway said.
He had not looked too hard at the position he is set to join, and a few weeks before enrolling, had not yet spoken too much to new defensive line coach Tracy Rocker.
The Gamecocks have loaded up on the defensive line, and Tonka Hemingway is one of seven four- or five-stars up front. He’ll have to battle for any time he gets, but as a soft-spoken individual, he’s bringing a simple and easy to follow mind-set to Columbia.
“I just play hard and go get it,” Tonka Hemingway said.
