Why Israel Mukuamu chose to opt out, and what comes next for the former Gamecock
Israel Mukuamu’s decision was essentially made when he received the MRI results.
The strained groin that had cost him games earlier in the season, the injury he had tried to battle through for several weeks, was re-aggravated. His 2020 college football season was finished.
He could have hung out on South Carolina’s sideline and stayed around the Gamecocks’ facilities, but he chose to start taking his next step and opt out for the rest of the season to begin NFL Draft preparations.
“I’m just looking at the odds ... I was gonna be out the rest of the year anyway,” Mukuamu told The State on Monday in an exclusive interview. “So I felt like, the games that I did play, I played pretty well. I missed a lot of games this year due to my injury, but I just made the best of it and that’s what it was.”
The possibility of turning pro after 2020 had been on his mind even before the season started, he said. He had put that aside during much of the actual season, but he and his family felt this was the time to take that next step.
He suffered the groin injury in the season opener against Tennessee and tried to play through it several times. He missed one of USC’s eight games and missed parts of at least four other contests, and ultimately hurt it again while running down a play at Ole Miss.
Mukuamu said he hasn’t yet signed with an agent, so he doesn’t yet know where he might head off to train. There were some points when he had considered staying around for another season, he said, as this one was so impacted by injury. Ultimately he felt this was the time to move on.
“(Returning) could’ve been a possibility,” Mukuamu said, “but this was just the right time and the right step.”
He hasn’t spoken much to former Gamecock teammates who are now in the NFL about their processes, but noted that older brother Sergio is helping guide him toward folks with his best interests at heart.
The firing of head coach Will Muschamp timed up with Mukuamu‘s decision to opt out, but he said it wasn’t a major factor in making his decision. The injury and lack of ability to play the rest of the season took precedence. (He said he would have kept playing, if he was able, regardless of the coaching situation.)
Mukuamu did say he felt Muschamp deserved to at least coach out this year, and maybe get another shot next year. He pointed out that between injuries and a brutal schedule last year and the entire cascade of adversity that came with the pandemic, there was enough disruption to knock things off course.
Although he didn’t get to play as much this season, he said he did get to work on his skill set a bit. He ended up getting a little time at all three secondary spots, in part because of the injury. He posted 10 tackles and two interceptions.
And he still can move relatively well for someone standing at 6-foot-4 with length, which will make him an intriguing pro prospect.
“Just put me on the ball,” Mukuamu said. “If we’re playing a team that has a good receiver that week then I can play at corner, or if you need me to lock up on a tight end, I can do that as well. So it just depends on wherever the ball is going. Just put me wherever the ball is going, and I’ll make a play.”
At points during the last offseason, Mukuamu was projected by draft pundits a potential first-round selection. How this year affects his pro stock remains to be seen, especially with the fall pre-draft process ahead.
He did have a little bit of symmetry, making his announcement around 12 hours after his classmate Jaycee Horn, another key part of South Carolina’s secondary. Both came into college together, and both depart together.
Horn spoke Monday about his own decision, explaining to The Draft Network why he decided to opt out early.
“It was a big decision, mainly because we were struggling and I felt I was risking a lot going back out there those last three games,” Horn said. “Also, my family situation. I had my grandparents come down with COVID. My granddad lost a lot of weight. My aunt actually was in the hospital and struggled going through it and she’s starting to get better now, thankfully. I didn’t say any of that (at the time of his announcement).
“It wasn’t just opting out, quitting on my team. My team knows how I feel about them. There was a lot going on mentally for me, and I just felt it was the right decision at the time.”
In the expansive interview, Horn talked about his process, his game and, of course, his father Joe Horn’s famous in-game NFL celebration involving a cell phone. After a dominant performance against Auburn launched his national profile in 2020, Horn might well end up a first-round NFL Draft pick.
Mukuamu said he leaves college with something important: the sense that his teammates had his back in his decision, as he looks to chase his dream.
“My teammates know I have love for them,” Mukuamu said. “I have respect for the game since I came in. I’ve been working hard since day one. So, quitting, that’s not in me. They understand the circumstances.”
