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REACTION: Jatius Geer Offers Untapped Potential As An Edge Defender

South Carolina's Football team have added Syracuse transfer Jatius Geer, who while proven at the Power 5 level, has yet to hit his ceiling.
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Clayton White's defense has slowly but surely begun rounding into form regarding the depth on his side of the ball. However, one position group that was in desperate need of more bodies, in general, was the defensive end room, which was decimated by both long-term and short-term losses over the past months.

Shane Beamer and the defensive coaching staff landed what could be classified as a "must-get" target on Thursday afternoon in Syracuse transfer Jatius Geer. Geer has three years of eligibility remaining after a redshirt freshman campaign that saw him make a massive leap on the field, resulting in 33 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks.

Gamecock Nation is already celebrating Geer's addition because he's a South Carolina native. This factoid will always give the fanbase a sense of extra pride. Besides the home state ties, Jatius will bring multiple positive traits and a ceiling yet to be reached.

Geer has an explosive twitch off the line of scrimmage, an athletic trait that automatically gives him a leg-up as a pass rusher on the edge. Jatius also displays his explosiveness when he crashes into an interior gap in rush defense, taking away a possible opening and forcing the opposing running back to look for other options.

Jatius will also bring a high football IQ and motor to Columbia, traits showcased when playing both down and reach blocks from the opposing offensive tackle and when a play is run to the opposite side of the field. Despite his strenuous position, Geer's willingness to go all-out throughout an entire football game will quickly earn the respect of his peers on the team and the fanbase.

Although Geer took a step forward for the Orange this past Fall, he still has room to grow and become a more well-rounded edge defender. His leverage and lack of hand movement sometimes got him in trouble in pass rush and rush defense, but the fact it was never for lack of effort should excite his new position coach Sterling Lucas. If Jatius can refine some of these correctable issues and put on more good weight in Luke Day's strength and conditioning program, he could quickly become a valuable piece in Clayton White's defensive front this upcoming Fall.

The Gamecocks will look to add more help from the portal, like Notre Dame transfer Logan Diggs, who will be visiting LSU this weekend.

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