What USC's staff sees in Dylan Wonnum: 'The sky’s the limit'

When Eric Wolford arrived in Columbia, South Carolina had not signed a composite blue chip offensive lineman since Zack Bailey in 2015.

That drought broke with this year’s signing class, his first full one with this staff, as four-star Georgia lineman Dylan Wonnum chose to follow his brother D.J. to the Gamecocks. Dylan Wonnum is one of two USC offensive line signees not yet on campus (along with Jovaughn Gwyn), but Wolford is excited at the prospect of bringing him into the fold.

“That’s a great thing,” Wolford said. “Dylan’s got a chance, the sky’s the limit. He’s got a great future in football. I’m just glad he’s on our team.”

The 6-foot-5, 323-pound tackle had offers from Auburn, Tennesse, Florida, LSU, Ohio State and Georgia. He was the No. 148 player in the final 247 composite rankings, 12th among offensive tackles.

As a senior, he was part of a line that helped Tucker High School average 258.7 yards per game and 7.9 yards per carry.

Wolford’s first stint at USC was only for a year, but the one class he most had his hands on was a gem on the offensive line front. The group included A.J. Cann, Ronald Patrick and Corey Robinson, who all played roles in USC’s run of 11-win seasons and played in the NFL.

Wolford and Will Muchamp have lamented the lack of depth behind their top unit for 2018, but Wonnum might have to wait to make his impact. Offensive line is arguably the position most reliant on development. A large proportion of offensive linemen redshirt in Year 1.

Wolford hasn’t had the chance to work with Wonnum hands-on in a college setting. The coach is excited, but he also knows he doesn’t yet really have a sense for exactly what he’ll have.

“You can’t judge offensive linemen too early because the speed of the game always becomes a factor,” Wolford said. “It’s not like a skill position. At the same time, you’re dealing with bigger, stronger guys than they’ve ever seen in high school, for the most part. And that’s play-in and play-out.”

This story was originally published April 25, 2018 at 3:49 PM with the headline "What USC's staff sees in Dylan Wonnum: 'The sky’s the limit'."