How South Carolina's Young Defensive Linemen Fit In The Gamecock Defense
The South Carolina football team is blessed with an abundance of young and talented defensive linemen. While still green, big things are expected from at least three of the young defensive linemen that were signed by the Gamecocks.
South Carolina will trot out one of the youngest teams in college football this fall. The defensive line, in particular, could be very young. Normally that would be a bad thing. This year is without question an exception. There’s a lot of talent in the freshman and sophomore classes.
A lot of talent.
The Gamecocks beat out several elite programs for in-state prospects like 2019 signee Zacch Pickens, considered by many to be the best player to come out of the Palmetto state for his class. The Anderson SC, and T.L. Hanna standout turned down offers from LSU, Clemson, Alabama, Michigan, Miami, Tennessee and Auburn just to name a few. He’s just one of the young bucks that South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp will look to utilize this fall, and he’s expected to start at defensive tackle.
While Pickens will likely start at defensive tackle, the 6-3, 295-pound talent will not be the only young defensive line prospect working along the defensive line. Another elite in-state prospect now playing in Columbia is expected to make the two deep depth chart.
Of course that’s 2020 signee Jordan Burch. The 6-5, 275-pound multi-talented defensive end could be a starter in the nickel or dime package (pass rushing situations) and he’s talented enough to make a move for serious minutes overall.
Now Burch should be considered the exception to the rule. He’s truly an elite-level prospect. With that in mind, Gamecocks’ fans should expect to see Burch early and often, even during the opener in Williams-Brice Stadium versus Tennessee.
Burch played at nearby Hammond School and had offers from a who’s who list of schools. Clemson, LSU, Georgia, Florida, etc. South Carolina fans should make it a point to watch this young man as much as possible. He truly possesses the talent to be an elite player, and be an elite player even as a freshman. Again, watch him as a pass rusher. That’s going to be his niche, at least early on. Here’s a look at one of Burch’s games from his senior season:
The other defensive lineman from Hammond School that will make noise at some point during his freshman season would be Alex Huntley. The 6-3, 280-pound defensive tackle was a big pickup for South Carolina, and the Gamecocks will likely find a way for Huntley to make his way into the rotation at some point during the 2020 season. Here’s a look at Huntley’s senior year highlights:
Will any other freshman defensive lineman make it into the rotation? That’s hard to say. Considering South Carolina brings back senior stalwart Aaron Sterling, who had six sacks in 2019, at defensive end. They also bring back junior Kingsley Enagbare at defensive tackle, who had three-and-a-half sacks in 2019. Overall Muschamp will need them to be physically and mentally ready to play big-time SEC football.
Regardless of whether another defensive lineman makes a big impact, the Gamecocks are blessed with NFL-level talent along the defensive line as a whole. That’s certainly going to help the Gamecocks all season long, as depth in the trenches is always a must in the SEC.