D.J. Smith could prove to be key for Gamecocks’ secondary in 2016

South Carolina safety D.J. Smith flashed his ability in 2015 but never worked his way into a consistent role.

The former four-star prospect opened the season as a special-teamer, then worked his way into the lineup, taking snaps from strong safety Jordan Diggs. He had a solid run with four tackles in three of four games in the middle of the season. After starting against Tennessee, he was pulled after the first two series when the Volunteers marched for touchdowns.

He went into this spring as the only experienced safety, with Diggs nursing a shoulder injury. Then he was sidelined with thumb surgery after suffering an injury in the opening days of practice.

“There’s a lot of things he went through,” Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp said. “We put a lot on our safeties in what we do. So continue to grow and have a great summer. That’s a critical, critical part of us.”

Smith could prove to be critical, not only in the position and role he plays in the defense, but also because of the lack of proven depth in the secondary.

Safety Isaiah Johnson, the last line of defense in 2015, graduated. The current staff has not seen Diggs practice in person. Without injured players listed, Chris Lammons came out of the spring listed as both a starting cornerback and safety alongside Chaz Elder, a big body who’s bounced in and out of the lineup through his career and has separated himself from the pack, in Muschamp’s words.

Smith has the build of a classic free safety at 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, and he’s fast. He played cornerback most of high school. Now, he’ll have to get comfortable with a new scheme and overcome whatever prevented him from turning those flashes of 2015 into something more consistent.

“I think more than anything, he needs to continue to gain more confidence as a player,” Muschamp said. “D.J. has got some ability. He’s got to gain more confidence in what we’re doing. I think, obviously, we installed a scheme and new system, new terminologies.”