Dante Sawyer prepared to make a difference from outset
Dante Sawyer doesn’t remember what he was reading April 29 when he turned to Twitter to vent. Whatever it was, it made him mad.
“Call me cocky, conceited, full of myself or whatever u wanna call it but I will be the best defensive end come next year,” he wrote on social media.
Sawyer, a Suwanee, Ga., native, is a four-star prospect and a two-time Gamecocks signee. He originally signed with USC in the Class of 2014 before heading to East Mississippi Community College in Scooba, Miss.
He laughed when hearing his confident tweet read to him.
“That’s not usually me. I don’t usually do that,” he said. “I was reading some stuff. I was feeling motivated that people were going to be sleeping on me when I come in.”
Sawyer is still motivated. After training in Atlanta for much of May, he enrolled at USC and started classes this month. He has four years to play three seasons with the Gamecocks.
“I want to start from day one,” he said. “I’m prepared. I know what I want to do. There’s no pressure. I just want to help out.”
BY THE NUMBERS
Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 280 pounds
Stats: 21 tackles (10.5 for loss), 6.5 sacks and two forced fumbles
Rating: Four-star prospect, according to 247Sports Composite rating
THREE THINGS
▪ Was a U.S. Army All-American out of high school and was offered by Alabama, Auburn and Arkansas, among others.
▪ Completed junior college degree work in just over a year. It usually takes two years.
▪ Likes soccer and especially enjoys playing the FIFA soccer video game.
THREE QUOTES
▪ “I feel like I can come in and work hard and be starting against North Carolina the first game of the season.”
▪ “I’m versatile. I can use my speed or I can use my power.”
▪ “This class is really trying to come in and make something happen.”
COACH’S TAKE
USC defensive line coach Deke Adams: “I really believe that Dante is going to be a really good player for us. Those coaches at that junior college do a great job, so we expect him to step in and be able to help immediately.”
This story was originally published June 14, 2015 at 11:04 PM with the headline "Dante Sawyer prepared to make a difference from outset."