Why South Carolina linebacker Fred Johnson could be a breakout star in 2025
As South Carolina gears up for the 2025 season, you will hear a lot about how the defense is losing seven starters. Yes, that is a fact. It might sound like doom and gloom, as if it’s guaranteed the defense is going to take a few steps back.
Then you see linebacker Fred Johnson, who looks like a brick wall covered in cement. Some sophomores are still physically maturing, still being hounded by the strength and nutrition staff on their journey to bulk up. And then there are unicorns like Johnson, who the coaching staff can completely leave alone.
“As far as physically, I can’t ask for no better,” said defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Clayton White.
Johnson is 6-foot-3, 244 pounds, clocks his 40-yard dash in the 4.4s. He is a freak. Even last season, as the linebacker depth chart was clogged by veterans Debo Williams, Demetrius Knight and Bam Martin-Scott, the Gamecocks still burned Johnson’s redshirt, opting to let him loose on special teams because he was that good.
A year later, he is the 19-year-old leader of this linebacker room. Just as the chatter about the Gamecocks’ defense revolves around who’s gonna replace Nick Emmanwori or Kyle Kennard or whoever, there is a question of whether Johnson can fill the void left by those three departed linebackers.
Which perhaps is the wrong question to ask. In a few months, the question might be posed as: Is Johnson better than those three linebackers?
“I just have to get him up to speed on diagnosing plays and becoming a linebacker,” White said. “The sky is obviously the limit. I think he will flourish and continue to get better every week.”
Seemingly the only questions about Johnson are which linebacker spot he is going to play — Johnson says he can line up in the middle and on the outside — and who’s going to be next to him. The top candidates seem to be a trio of guys who at one point transferred from Alabama: Colin Bryant, Justin Okoronkwo and Shawn Murphy.
You might notice: None of those guys has much experience at South Caroline, which was a problem initially.
“I feel like when we first got here, nobody really wanted to speak up,” Johnson said. “And now, there’s like set leaders in the room.”
Johnson counts himself among that group, noting he had to raise his leadership starting in January. He admitted his style is split between being vocal and someone who leads by example, but the latter is more noticeable.
“He’s a freak,” Murphy said of Johnson. “He’s fast. He’s physical. He does everything right.”
The only thing he’s yet to do is prove himself against SEC competition. In other words, it seems the only thing Johnson lacks heading into 2025 is experience and, well, once he gets some — watch out.
