This 4-star freshman lineman has South Carolina coaches excited

South Carolina freshman defensive lineman Kingsley Enagbare weighs 266 pounds. That might not be enough to play effectively as a defensive tackle in the SEC, but it’s going to have to be this year for the Gamecocks.

“He’s going to be in there. It is what it is,” South Carolina defensive line coach Lance Thompson said. “It’s going to have to be big enough, but he’ll get bigger and stronger. I think one day he’s going to be a 285-, 290-pound athlete.”

Enagbare, who coaches and teammates all call J.J., was a four-star defensive end prospect at Hapeville Charter School in Atlanta last year. He signed with the Gamecocks and entered as an early enrollee, which means he’s participating with the team in spring practice, and it didn’t take South Carolina’s coaches long to decide they were going to play him as a defensive tackle.

“He’s a naturally instinctive guy, and he’s doing a really good job,” Thompson said. “First, he’s just a wonderful kid. He works hard. Football is important to him. He’s always got a positive attitude, willing to learn, willing to work. Then he’s got the measurable. He’s got an unbelievable skill set. He’s long. He’s got to get bigger. He’s got to get stronger. That will come in time.”

Until Enagbare is able to add weight and strength, the Gamecocks coaches will try to ask him to do things that require more athleticism than sheer brawn.

“He’s extremely athletic, and he’s extremely instinctive,” Thompson said. “Any time you can find a guy like that as a coach you are like, ‘Yeah,’ because he can do stuff beyond what you’ve coached him to do. He can see stuff happen. Not every guy can do that.”

Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson already had singled out Enagbare as an early enrollee making a fast impression.

“J.J. is a guy who has shown promise,” Robinson said. “We have never been scared to play young guys.”

Enagbare is likely to play in the fall because of his fast start and the fact the Gamecocks need defensive tackle depth. Thompson would like to have six defensive tackles he can rotate in the fall, and right now only Javon Kinlaw, Keir Thomas and Kobe Smith have earned a spot in that group.

Enagbare “has the right mindset to do everything, and he’s quick, too,” veteran defensive tackle Kobe Smith said.

This story was originally published March 23, 2018 at 8:19 AM with the headline "This 4-star freshman lineman has South Carolina coaches excited."