Confident Sherrod Greene takes aim at healthy final season with Gamecocks
Sherrod Greene was on his way to becoming a star linebacker at South Carolina. Injuries knocked that path off course the past two years.
In 2020, Greene fractured his hip in the season opener against Tennessee and missed the rest of the year. In 2021, the North Carolina native suffered a right ankle injury on the second play of the Sept. 18 game against Georgia and was lost for the season.
Rather than calling it a career or possibly entering the NFL Draft, Greene announced in December that he would be back at USC for a sixth season.
“Got so much left to give!! I’m not done yet,” Greene said in a Twitter post two days before Christmas.
Greene opened up this spring about how hard the struggles the past two years have been. He credited those in his inner circle for keeping his spirits up during a challenging portion of his career.
“It was tough because the year before that I broke my hip,” Greene said. “Just having back-to-back season-ending injuries could take a toll on me, but I had good support in my corner with my family, and my mom kept my head on straight. So it wasn’t as bad as it may seem, but it was a good trial for me.”
The Gamecocks coaching staff brought Greene along slowly this spring and monitored him, and they’ll do the same in the fall so he can be ready to play each week.
Greene said he was pretty much “on schedule,” taking part in 7-on-7 drills this spring and working on his change of direction. He finished with three tackles in Saturday’s spring game.
“He is an ultimate warrior kind of guy so you try your best to limit and get him to a fall and get him into more than one or two more games,” USC defensive coordinator Clayton White said last week. “But he is in a good spot mentally and he is learning another position where he can have another role and help him use his athletic ability. He’s fired up, in a great spot and love where he is at right now.”
If healthy, Greene will be a big factor at linebacker and a veteran presence on defense to go along with the likes of Brad Johnson and RJ Roderick, all who opted to return for one more season with the Gamecocks. He has appeared in 39 games and has registered 138 tackles.
“My main goal is pretty much staying healthy,” Greene said. “I know if I have a full, complete season, I got big plans ahead of me.
“... I’m a little excited, to be honest with you. Sitting back on the sideline, watching the team practice and just wishing I could be in there and contribute to the team. Because those boys are looking good right now. I just want to be a part of that.”
