Could Columbia four-star Alex Huntley get snaps for USC in Game 1? What it will take
South Carolina freshman defensive tackle Alex Huntley can play this season and not face any penalty to his eligibility.
But will the burly freshman from the Hammond School in Columbia be able to make his way on the field for his first game as a Gamecock?
The four-star lineman will have to edge out a pair of other contenders and will still be playing behind a quartet of older players. USC defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said that competition is still working itself out a little more than a week out of the team’s opener against Tennessee.
“He’s doing a good job for us,” Robinson said. “He missed a little bit of time for us but he’s back and rolling.
“He’ll have a chance right now. You know, you look at the combination of guys inside, Keir (Thomas), you look at Jabari Ellis, you look at Zacch Pickens, you look at Ricky Sandidge. And now that next, fifth defensive tackle that comes in. It’s going to be a battle between him and MJ Webb, and there’s a battle between Makius Scott, so we got some guys at that position.”
Thomas is the most veteran of the group, only being on the roster because of a senior year injury redshirt. Ellis saw his role grow across the past two seasons following a stint in junior college.
Pickens and Sandidge were the top two recruits in each of their classes, but neither has set the world on fire as of yet.
Huntley has a good bit of potential at 6-foot-4, 295 pounds. An Army All-American, he posted 92 tackles, 24 for loss and four sacks as a senior, pairing with five-star Jordan Burch and quarterback Jackson Muschamp, son of Gamecocks coach Will, to lead the Skyhawks to their third straight state title.
He was the No. 217 recruit in the country in the 247 Sports composite rankings and the No. 4 player in the class.
His competition is Webb, a former four-star who moved to offense for a season and then back to defense, and Scott, and explosive fellow freshman out of Georgia. The No. 5 tackle spot doesn’t get a ton of work in most games, but gets some, and the Gamecocks have a few options.
“One of those guys whichever one can learn it, the quickest and understand what we’re doing the best and that guy will be the fifth D-tackle for us and we’ll kind of role that way,” Robinson said.
This story was originally published September 18, 2020 at 2:14 PM.
