This future Gamecock defender, now more than 300 pounds, shines as senior leader
T.J. Sanders’ team was already in commanding position, but the senior for the Marion High School Swamp Foxes was still breaking things down.
Coming off the field Monday in the midst of a blowout win to secure a region title, he was animated, talking a teammate through the finer points of a particular blocking scheme. The 6-foot-5, now-300 pounder quickly went from a player who had to be coaxed from the basketball court to the football field to a future SEC player with the South Carolina Gamecocks.
And he also made another transition: From a player with minimal experience to one who could lead a team in just a second year.
“He just became a total leader,” Marion coach Randall State said, noting Sanders was in for an extra weightlifting session the day before the game. “He was always the leader on the basketball court. It took him a year to kind of settle in, coming back as a football player.
“He’s always been a vocal guy, on and off the court, and he’s smart with it.”
That leadership on the basketball court translated to football, and some of the relationships did, too. Marion isn’t the biggest school, and the best athletes are playing multiple sports most of the time.
On the sideline, Sanders showed some personality, chatting while also giving teammates a little grief, breaking into a dance as the band played. His squad was dominating a county rivalry with Mullins High in a game rescheduled to a Monday night.
On the field, he showed flashes of why the Gamecocks brought him into their class after just one year on the high school gridiron and why he’s currently the No. 642 player in the country in the 247Sports Composite rankings.
The Swamp Foxes are using Sanders in a manner different from how he’ll be used by the USC staff. In college, he’ll either be a burly defensive end or quick tackle, putting a hand on the ground. In high school, he’s a stand-up edge player, working a little more in space.
“I’ve been doing that since middle school,” Sanders said. “Now, since I’m a senior, it’s really coming easier.”
That’s something a staff can do with a player who is just a level more talented than everyone else on the field. Sanders will have to put in the work at the next level with some degree of transition, but in high school, being a little more in space lets him wreak havoc.
“Our plan was to move him around, inside and out,” State said. “We definitely know on the next level, he won’t be a D-end.”
Against the Auctioneers, he piled up nine tackles, three for loss, with a sack in the 34-0 win. The opposing offense often ran plays away from him, but he managed to gobble up ball carriers on cutbacks and a couple times chased down Alim Legette, younger brother of current Gamecocks receiver and former Mullins star Xavier Legette.
State said Sanders improved dramatically by just having his first full offseason in the weight room. Sanders said he worked on his feel for the game.
“Just reading plays,” Sanders said, “noticing that everything is not as hard as I tried to make it last year. So a lot of this year came easier because I started studying film.”
State described Sanders as having “coach’s knowledge,” and as a strong student in the classroom.
The Marion coaches have also let him work a little at Wildcat quarterback. He only carried the ball once Monday, getting his team out of the shadow of its own goal post. He did score a touchdown earlier this year.
He’s in consistent communication with the Gamecocks staff, notably defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and head coach Will Muschamp. (Sanders hasn’t missed a day in the weight room since committing to USC, State noted.)
The message from Rocker, who Sanders has taken a liking to, has been that nothing will be given, but if he comes in ready to work, the effort will pay off.
“We’ve been in this relationship, really since they offered me,” Sanders said. “So I’m really starting to like him a lot.”
He doesn’t know what role he’ll slot into early in college, but if he goes in with the plan of proving himself, everything after will follow.
Sanders won’t arrive in Columbia until the start of summer, in part because he wants to finish out his basketball career. He thinks he take part in track and field in the spring, probably throwing the discus.
He’ll join a defensive line at USC that only has three seniors, several of which could potentially come back with the option on the table because of COVID-19 and NCAA eligibility relief. The group has a lot of blue-chip talent, but that hasn’t yet translated to a dominant front.
For now, the Sanders and his Swamp Foxes are 3-1 with a region title. They’re set to play a few non-region dates, including Manning on Friday, and then head on to the playoffs, their first trip to the postseason since 2016.
“Our team is in a really good position,” Sanders said. “We’re really starting to click on all cylinders.”
This story was originally published October 29, 2020 at 5:10 AM.
