Gamecocks Open 2019 Season Saturday in Charlotte
Carolina and North Carolina Set for 3:30 pm Kick at Bank of America Stadium
THE HISTORY: 2019 marks the 126th season of intercollegiate football at the University of South Carolina, dating back to 1892. It is the 113th-consecutive year in which South Carolina has competed on the gridiron. The University did not field a team in either 1893 or 1906. Carolina owns an all-time record of 608-579-44, a .512 winning percentage.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY: The 2019 season marks the 50th anniversary of the 1969 South Carolina squad that won the Atlantic Coast Conference title with a perfect 6-0 mark under Paul Dietzel. Included was a 14-6 win over North Carolina. That team was rewarded with a trip to the Peach Bowl. 2019 also marks the 25th anniversary of the 1994 South Carolina team that went 7-5 including the school’s first bowl victory – a 24-21 win over West Virginia in the Carquest Bowl.
IT JUST MEANS MORE: The 2019 season marks South Carolina’s 28th year in the Southeastern Conference. South Carolina and Arkansas joined the league prior to the 1992 campaign. The Gamecocks earned the SEC Eastern Division title in the 2010 season. The Gamecocks are 94-121-1 (.438) all-time in SEC regular-season play, but are 39-33 (.542) in conference action since the start of the 2010 season.
BATTLE OF THE CAROLINAS: South Carolina and North Carolina renew its series on Saturday, August 31, in the season opener for both squads. This will mark the 58th meeting on the gridiron between these two schools. North Carolina holds a 34-19-4 advantage in the all-time series, including a 2-1 mark when the game has been played at a neutral site. However, South Carolina has won each of the last three contests (21-15 in Chapel Hill in 2007, 27-10 in Columbia in 2013 and 17-13 in Charlotte in 2015) and six of the last seven overall.
MUSCHAMP AND THE TAR HEELS: South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp has never faced the North Carolina Tar Heels.
WHAT CAN BROWN DO FOR YOU?: North Carolina head coach Mack Brown is 1-3 against the Gamecocks, with all four games coming during his first stint in Chapel Hill. The Gamecocks defeated the Tar Heels by scores of 31-10, 27-20 and 27-5 from 1988-90, before Brown and the Heels tallied a 21-17 win during the 1991 season.
CHAMP AND MACK GO WAY BACK: Will Muschamp was the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas from 2008-10 under Mack Brown. During those three years, the Longhorns went 30-9 and went to the BCS National Championship Game following the 2009 season.
THE LAST TIME THEY MET: The Gamecocks and Tar Heels opened the 2015 season at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium on Sept. 3, with South Carolina posting a 17-13 win. The Tar Heels took a 13-10 lead into intermission, but Shon Carson broke a 48-yard run to paydirt early in the fourth quarter for the only score in the second half, lifting the Gamecocks to victory. Linebacker Skai Moore intercepted a pair of passes in the endzone, including one in the game’s final minutes to preserve the win. South Carolina did most of its damage on the ground, rushing for 254 yards. The announced attendance was 51,664.
CAROLINA ON MY MIND: The Gamecocks have 14 players who played their high school ball in the Tar Heel State: Rico Dowdle (Asheville); Nick Muse (Belmont), Eric Douglas, Max Durschlag, Jovaughn Gwyn and Jaylen Nichols (Charlotte); Derek Boykins-Brooks and Rick Sandidge (Concord); Traevon Kenion (Monroe); Donovan Wirt (Raeford); Connor Jordan and Spencer Eason-Riddle (Raleigh); Sherrod Greene (Rocky Mount); and Jaylin Dickerson (Southern Pines).
2018 IN REVIEW: South Carolina football concluded its 125th season of intercollegiate football in 2018 with a record of 7-6, including a 4-4 mark in the SEC. Five of the Gamecocks’ six losses were to teams that finished the season in the top-16 in the Associated Press’s final poll, including No. 1 Clemson, No. 7 (tie) Florida and Georgia, No. 12 Kentucky and No. 16 Texas A&M. The season culminated in the Belk Bowl with a loss to Virginia.
GOING BOWLING: The Gamecocks played in the 2018 Belk Bowl and dropped a 28-0 decision to Virginia. It marked the 14th time in the last 15 years that the Gamecocks were bowl-eligible. The Gamecocks are 6-6 in the 12 bowl games played in that stretch, including wins in five of their last seven appearances. The Gamecocks did not go bowling in 2004 (6-5), 2007 (6-6) or 2015 (3-9). Carolina is 9-14 all time in 23 bowl appearances.
WHERE THERE’S A WILL: Will Muschamp begins his fourth season guiding the Gamecock football program. He became the first coach to take South Carolina to bowl games in each of his first three seasons. Steve Spurrier’s first three Carolina teams (2005-07) were bowl-eligible, but the 2007 squad did not receive a bowl bid despite posting a 6-6 campaign.
HE’S THE CHAMP: Will Muschamp surpassed Steve Spurrier’s record for most wins in his first three seasons as the Carolina head coach. Coach Muschamp owns a 22-17 record, posting seasons of 6-7, 9-4 and 7-6. Coach Spurrier logged a 21-16 record in his first three seasons (2005-07), guiding the Gamecocks to records of 7-5, 8-5, and 6-6. Joe Morrison is the only coach to record 20 or more wins in his first three seasons at Carolina Morrison logged a 20-14 mark from 1983-85, going 5-6, 10-2, and 5-6. With 22 wins, Coach Muschamp is just two wins shy of matching Sparky Woods for 10th place on Carolina’s all-time coaching list. Seven victories would move Coach Muschamp into eighth place on the list, passing Sol Metzger (26) and Warren Giese (28).
SEC SUCCESS: The Gamecocks have put together back-to-back seasons of four or more SEC wins for the first time since 2012-13. It’s also just the sixth time in program history that’s occurred.
COACHING CAROUSEL: Will Muschamp made a pair of coaching changes during the off season. On the offensive side, Thomas Brown replaced Pat Washington. Brown, who most recently worked at Miami (Fla.), serves as the running backs coach, with Bobby Bentley transitioning to tight ends. On defense, John Scott Jr. replaces Lance Thompson to mentor the defensive line. Scott most recently worked at Arkansas.
BREAKING IT DOWN: The 115-man roster (as of August 23) consists of 21 seniors, 25 juniors, 24 sophomores, 17 redshirt freshmen and 28 true freshmen.
THEY’RE BACK: The Gamecocks have 47 returning letterwinners to begin the 2019 season. That consists of 20 offensive players, 22 defensive players and five special teams players.
RETURNING STARTERS: The Gamecocks list 16 returning starters from the 2018 squad, seven on offense, seven on defense and two specialists. The returning offensive starters are Jake Bentley, Rico Dowdle, Bryan Edwards, Sadarius Hutcherson, Shi Smith, Donell Stanley and Dylan Wonnum. The returning defensive starters are T.J. Brunson, Sherrod Greene, Jaycee Horn, Javon Kinlaw, R.J. Roderick, Kobe Smith and Keir Thomas. The two specialists are Joseph Charlton and Parker White.
EVERY TIME OUT: The Gamecocks had four players start every game in 2018, and all four return in 2019. The quartet includes LB T.J. Brunson, LB Sherrod Greene, OG Sadarius Hutcherson and OC Donell Stanley.
NOT IN THIS CENTURY: South Carolina has won 10-consecutive games against teams that hail from the Tar Heel State. In fact, the Gamecocks have not lost to a team from North Carolina in this century. The Gamecocks are 4-0 against East Carolina (2011, 2012, 2014, 2016), and 3-0 against both North Carolina (2007, 2013, 2015) and NC State (2008, 2009, 2017) since 2000.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS: The Gamecocks are 31-8 in their last 39 non-conference games, with five of the eight losses in that stretch coming against Clemson. Carolina has another formidable non-conference slate on tap in 2019, with ACC opponents North Carolina and Clemson, along with Sun Belt champion Appalachian State and Charleston Southern on the docket.
SENIOR STARTS: The Gamecocks have 13 seniors on their roster who have made a combined 235 career starts entering the 2019 season. Bryan Edwards (37) and Jake Bentley (32) lead the way.
OLD-TIMERS GAME: The Gamecocks have four players – Caleb Kinlaw, J.T. Ibe, Donell Stanley and Eldridge Thompson – who have been granted a sixth-year of eligibility by the NCAA for the 2019 season. Their first collegiate season was in 2014. South Carolina and Akron are the only Division I schools with four sixth-year players on the roster.
GRAD TRANSFERS: The Gamecocks welcomed two grad transfers this fall. Running back Tavien Feaster comes to Carolina after graduating from Clemson, while deep snapper Matt Oliveira joined the squad after graduating from Maryland. J.T. Ibe is another graduate transfer from Rice, who is in his second season with the Gamecocks.
POSITION SHUFFLE: Since the printing of the 2019 media guide, A.J. Turner has spent most of his time in the secondary after being listed as a running back; Darius Rush was moved to the secondary after playing wide receiver and is now wearing number 28 rather than 81; Chandler Farrell converted from center to tight end, changing from 60 to 31. Jay Urich, listed as a quarterback, has been a regular in the wide receiver unit.
OPENING ACTS: South Carolina is 84-37-4 (.688) in 125 season openers. The Gamecocks have won 18 of their last 19 season openers dating back to 2000, with the only blemish in that stretch coming to Texas A&M in 2014.
BANK OF AMERICA OPENERS: The Gamecocks are a perfect 3-0 when opening the season at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. Carolina defeated East Carolina in 2011, North Carolina in 2015 and NC State in 2017.
OPENING DAY BESTS: Here are the top opening day individual performances in South Carolina football history:
100-yard Rushing Games In Season Openers
1. 187 Duce Staley, UCF (1996)
2. 160 Harold Green, Duke (1989)
3. 153 George Rogers, Pacific (1980)
4. 120 Brandon Bennett, Georgia (19994)
5. 118 Derek Watson, NC State (1999)
6. 115 Mike Davis, North Carolina (2013)
7. 114 Derek Watson, N. Mexico St.(2000)
8. 113 Mike Dingle, Duke (1990)
113 Carl West, Pacific (1980)
10. 112 Marcus Lattimore, E. Carolina (2011)
11. 110 Marcus Lattimore, Vanderbilt (2012)
12. 105 Rico Dowdle, Coastal Carolina (2018)
13. 104 Carl Brazell, Wofford (1955)
14. 103 Earl Clary, Duke (1931)
15. 102 Jeff Grantz, Georgia Tech (1973)
16. 101 Mike Davis, NC State (2008)
17. 100 Harold Green, North Carolina (1988)
200-yard Passing Games In Season Openers
1. 405 Steve Taneyhill, Georgia (1994)
2. 366 Dylan Thompson, Texas A&M (2014)
3. 330 Blake Mitchell, UCF (2005)
4. 329 Todd Ellis, Appalachian State (1987)
5. 318 Bill Troup, Virginia (1972)
6. 290 Todd Ellis, North Carolina (1988)
7. 250 Jake Bentley, Coastal Carolina (2018)
8. 238 Allen Mitchell, The Citadel (1984)
9. 236 Anthony Wright, UCF (1996)
10. 220 Phil Petty, Boise State (2001)
11. 215 Jake Bentley, NC State (2017)
100-yard Receiving Games In Season Openers
1. 146 Ira Hillary, The Citadel (1984)
2. 140 Jackie Brown, Virginia (1972)
3. 134 Stanley Pritchett, Georgia (1995)
4. 120 Zola Davis, UCF (1997)
5. 113 Nick Jones, Texas A&M (2014)
6. 110 Mike Haggard, Virginia (1972)
7. 106 Alshon Jeffery, Southern Miss (2010)
8. 101 Bryan Edwards, Vanderbilt (2016)
IT’S A NUMBERS GAME: Carolina returns 83 percent of its rushing yards, 90 percent of its passing yards and 59 percent of its receiving yards from 2018. Deebo Samuel (862 receiving, 26 rushing) and Ty’Son Williams (328 rushing, 152 receiving) are the top losses. The Gamecocks return their top two rushers in seniors Rico Dowdle (654 yards) and Mon Denson (432), their top passer in senior Jake Bentley (3,171 yards), and three of their top four receivers in senior Bryan Edwards (55 catches for 846 yards), junior Shi Smith (45 for 673) and sophomore Josh Vann (18 for 118). Five of the squad’s top seven tacklers return for the 2019 season, including the top two in linebackers T.J. Brunson (106 tackles) and Sherrod Greene (73). Brunson (10.5) and fellow senior Javon Kinlaw (10.0) did the most damage in the backfield with Brunson logging 10.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks, while Kinlaw recorded 10.0 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks.
YOUR MONEY’S NO GOOD HERE: Just prior to the start of the 2019 academic year, walk-on linebacker Spencer Eason-Riddle was rewarded with a scholarship.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN: Senior tight end Kiel Pollard was forced to give up his playing career during fall camp. Pollard suffered a small fracture in his neck, which was to have sidelined him for 4-6 weeks. However, during an MRI, the doctors discovered a cyst on his spinal cord, which appears to have been there since he was a child. The severity of the situation and the possible long-term consequences from that medical condition forced him to retire. Pollard, who will graduate in December, is serving as a student-assistant coach.
MISSING YOU THIS SEASON: Sophomore safety Jaylin Dickerson had surgery in June for a labrum tear in his hip. JUCO defensive lineman Devontae Davis is likely out with a foot injury.
ABOUT THE SCHEDULE: The Gamecocks have what many consider the toughest schedule in Division I football for the 2019 season. Carolina’s 2019 opponents combined for a 106-50 record and a .679 winning percentage during the 2018 season. Two of their 2019 opponents, Clemson and Alabama, reached the FBS Championship game a year ago, while three (Alabama, Clemson and Appalachian State) were regular season champions in the SEC, ACC and Sun Belt conferences, respectively. There have been three programs to reach the College Football Playoff National Championship in each of the last two seasons, Alabama, Clemson and Georgia, and South Carolina is playing all three this year.
HALF REACHED DOUBLE-DIGITS: Six of the Gamecocks’ 12 opponents on their 2019 scheduled posted at least 10 wins during the 2018 campaign, including Clemson (15), Alabama (14), Georgia (11), Appalachian State (11), Florida (10) and Kentucky (10). Additionally, Texas A&M won nine while Missouri posted eight wins.
FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME: The Gamecocks have started seven true freshmen in the season opener since the 2009 season – Stephon Gilmore (2009), Marcus Lattimore (2010), Jadeveon Clowney (2011), Bryson Allen-Williams (2014), Al Harris Jr. (2014), Bryan Edwards (2016) and Jaycee Horn (2018).
WORKING OVERTIME: The Gamecocks are 2-4 all-time in games decided in overtime.
Date Opponent W/L Score No. of OT
09/27/03 at Tennessee L 20-23 1
10/27/07 at Tennessee L 24-27 1
10/26/13 at Missouri W 27-24 2
11/01/14 vs Tennessee L 42-45 1
11/15/14 at Florida W 23-20 1
12/29/16 USF (Birmingham) L 39-46 1
FAMILY TIES:
* Jake Bentley is the son of running backs coach Bobby Bentley.
* The Gamecocks have a pair of brothers in the starting lineup. Senior Buck D.J. Wonnum lines up occasionally across from his younger brother, sophomore offensive tackle Dylan Wonnum in practice.
* Sophomore defensive back Jaycee Horn is the son of former NFL wide receiver Joe Horn, junior linebacker Damani Staley is the son of former Gamecock and NFL running back Duce Staley, while 2019 signee Shilo Sanders is the son of former NFL and MLB standout Deion Sanders.
TOTING THE SHEEPSKIN: Thirteen Gamecocks already have their undergraduate degree in hand. Those who have graduated include: Joseph Charlton, Mon Denson, Spencer Eason-Riddle, Chandler Farrell, Tavien Feaster, Daniel Fennell, Bailey Hart, J.T. Ibe, Caleb Kinlaw, Kyle Markway, Matt Oliveira, Donell Stanley and Eldridge Thompson.
THE CAP AND GOWN AWAITS: Fifteen Gamecocks are on track to graduate in December. The list includes: Michael Almond, Jake Bentley, T.J. Brunson, Rico Dowdle, Bryan Edwards, Daniel Fennell (Master’s), Sadarius Hutcherson, Javon Kinlaw, Sean McGonigal, Kiel Pollard, Kobe Smith, Keir Thomas, Will Tommie, A.J. Turner, and Alex Woznick.
LOVE US FOR OUR MINDS: Gamecock football student-athletes posted a combined 3.026 GPA in the fall semester of 2018, the best in school history, then topped that with a 3.084 team GPA in the spring of 2019.
THE B-MAC ATTACK: The Gamecock offense, under newly-minted offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon, took a big step forward in 2018. The offense had five games of 500 yards or more for the first time in school history, including back-to-back games of 600 yards against Chattanooga and Clemson. With a record-breaking senior quarterback and wide receiver, a slew of senior running backs and an athletic offensive line, Carolina is looking to build on their production this season in B-Mac’s second year. Here’s how the numbers have improved from the year before this staff took over (2015) through last season:
Points/ Rush Yds/ Pass Yds/ Tot. Yds/
Year Game Game Game Game
2015 21.9 154.7 207.5 362.2
2016 20.8 134.4 213.2 347.5
2017 24.2 122.2 214.9 337.1
2018 30.1 152.8 272.8 425.6
OUR QUARTERBACK IS A BENTLEY: Senior Jake Bentley returns to trigger the Gamecocks’ offense. Bentley, a 6-4, 220-pounder from Opelika, Ala., owns a 19-13 record as a starting signal-caller. If he remains healthy all season, Bentley figures to rank at the top of several career statistical categories in school history. Redshirt freshman Dakereon Joyner and sophomore Jay Urich are the only other players on the roster who have taken a snap from center in a collegiate game. Each has completed one pass.
KEEPING UP WITH THE BENTLEYS: Jake Bentley comes from a football family. His father, Bobby, is the Gamecocks’ tight ends coach and was previously a very successful prep coach at Byrnes High School and at Presbyterian College in South Carolina. Stepbrother Chas Dodd quarterbacked at Rutgers and is now on Miami’s strength & conditioning staff. Brother Shuler Bentley quarterbacked at Old Dominion and Murray State and is now a graduate assistant at Troy.
NEXT IN LINE: True freshman Ryan Hilinski earned the backup quarterback role in fall camp over Dakereon Joyner. Like Bentley, Hilinski, a highly-touted 6-3, 230-pound signal-caller from California, comes from a quarterbacking family. His brother Kelly played QB at Columbia and Weber State, while his brother, the late Tyler Hilinski, was a quarterback at Washington State.
SENIOR STABLE OF BACKS: New running backs coach Thomas Brown has a trio of senior running backs at his disposal in Rico Dowdle, Mon Denson and graduate transfer Tavien Feaster. Dowdle (6-0, 215) ranks 23rd on the school’s all-time rushing list with 1,669 yards while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. He has scored a dozen rushing TDs in 29 games including 19 starts. Denson (5-10, 215) has 584 yards rushing over the past two seasons, averaging 4.6 yards per tote. He has four rushing TDs in 22 games including a pair of starts. Feaster (6-0, 221), who played at Clemson in each of the past three seasons, enters 2019 with 1,330 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns on 222 carries over 41 career games including 11 starts. He ranked second in Clemson history in career yards per carry (5.99) behind only Travis Etienne as of the conclusion of the 2018 season.
CATCH IT IF YOU CAN: Senior wide reciever Bryan Edwards (6-3, 215) leads the corps of receivers. Edwards will rank statistically among the best wide receivers in school history if he remains healthy in his final campaign. He has caught a pass in all 38 games in which he has appeared. Junior Shi Smith (5-10, 190) is poised to have a breakout season, following the graduation of second-round NFL draft pick Deebo Samuel. Sophomoe Josh Vann (5-10, 185) earned the third starting wide receiver spot in fall camp. Redshirt sophomore OrTre Smith (6-4, 220) returns to the lineup after missing most of last season following knee surgery. Chavis Dawkins, Randrecous Davis and Chad Terrell are all veteran guys with experience.
THIN AT TIGHT END: Bobby Bentley takes over as the tight ends coach this season and has his work cut out for him, with just seven career Division I receptions in his room entering the 2019 campaign. He lost K.C. Crosby and Jacob August to graduation, then lost Kiel Pollard to a career-ending medical situation during fall camp. Fifth-year junior Kyle Markway (6-4, 250) is the only experienced tight end in the room. Nick Muse (6-3, 232), a transfer from William & Mary, would be a welcome addition if the NCAA rules he is eligible this season. He hauled in 30 passes for 453 yards a season ago for the Tribe. Junior Chandler Farrell, a former walk-on center, moved to tight end during fall camp to add depth.
O-LINE IS FINE: The Gamecocks have some experience and some depth along the offensive line in what offensive line coach Eric Wolford considers his most athletic unit since rejoining the Carolina staff. Sixth-year senior Donell Stanley (6-3, 325) anchors the unit. Stanley moves back to left guard this season after working at center in 2018. The tackle positions are manned on the left side by redshirt junior Sadarius Hutcherson (6-4, 320) and on the right side by Dylan Wonnum (6-5, 310). Hutcherson played guard in 2018, but is strong and athletic enough to handle the tackle position. He earned a spot on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks” list. Wonnum was a Freshman All-American last season. Redshirt freshman Hank Manos (6-4, 290) will get the start at center. He was the starter at center for the Belk Bowl last December. The right guard position is a battle between redshirt sophomore Eric Douglas (6-4, 315) and redshirt freshman Jovaughn Gwyn (6-2, 305). Douglas is a swing guy who could move to several other positions if needed.
CAN’T TOUCH THIS: Carolina’s number of sacks allowed has dipped from 41 in 2016 the year prior to Eric Wolford’s arrival, to 29 in 2017 and to 23 in 2018 the fewest since the 2013 season.
BROTHERLY LOVE: When Dylan and D.J. Wonnum both started against Tennessee in 2018, they become the first set of brothers to start in a game for Carolina since 2014 when Gerald Dixon and Gerald Dixon Jr. were starters along the defensive line. Dylan was named the SEC Freshman of the Week for his efforts against the Vols, while D.J. earned SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week honors for the same game. It was the first time a set of brothers earned SEC honors in the same week.
HEALTH IS THE KEY: The Gamecocks look to bounce back on defense this season after injuries took a major toll on the unit a season ago. What has long been Coach Muschamp’s calling card, the defense will now reap the benefits of having several players forced into duty last season, a campaign in which 19 different players made starts on the defensive side of the ball, including three true freshmen defensive backs in Jaycee Horn, Israel Mukuamu and R.J. Roderick.
SENIORS LEAD THE WAY UP FRONT: This is easily the best defensive front in both depth and talent assembled at South Carolina since the days of Jadeveon Clowney and company raised havoc throughout the SEC. Coach Muschamp has publicly put the pressure on a quintet of seniors to lead the way up front. Most of the preseason accolades have gone to Javon Kinlaw (6-6, 310), who some NFL experts have labeled a possible first-round draft pick. Expect D.J. Wonnum (6-5, 260) to have a big year after missing eight games a year ago with an ankle injury. Wonnum was named a team captain in 2017 after logging 13.0 tackles for loss including 6.0 sacks. Kobe Smith (6-2, 300) is a “glue guy” in the middle of the line. Keir Thomas (6-2, 275) is a swing guy who could play either inside or set the edge. Daniel Fennell (6-2, 255) is coming off an ACL, but hasn’t missed a beat and is a very consistent performer.
IN BACK OF THE LINE: What was a very thin unit that saw T.J. Brunson and Sherrod Greene each play over 900 snaps a year ago, the Gamecock linebacking corps is much deeper this season. Brunson (6-1, 230) is the unquestioned leader of the group and of the entire defense. The first player that Coach Muschamp recruiting at Carolina, Brunson has logged 206 career tackles, including 106 last season alone. Sophomore Ernest Jones (6-2, 235) has continued to improve and figures to start at the MIKE position, allowing Brunson to move to WILL, which he played earlier in his career. Greene (6-1, 230) started every game last season, Eldridge Thompson (6-1, 225) is a sixth-year senior, while junior Damani Staley (6-0, 235) and sophomore Rosendo Louis Jr. (6-2, 250) figure to see ample playing time. True freshman Jahmar Brown (6-1, 205) was impressive in fall camp and worked his way into the two-deep.
RECONFIGURED SECONDARY: Defensive backs coach Travaris Robinson has a talented, but relatively inexperienced group in his meeting room. J.T. Ibe (5-10, 195) is a sixth-year graduate transfer who, along with junior Jamyest Williams (5-8, 180) are the two veterans in the secondary. A pair of sophomores in Jaycee Horn (6-1, 200) and Israel Mukuamu (6-4, 205) have the ability to play more man coverage from their cornerback positions. Versatile senior A.J. Turner (5-10, 190) has been transitioning from running back to defensive back for his final campaign. Jammie Robinson (5-11, 200) is a true freshman penciled in as the probable starter at nickel.
BLOWING HIS OWN HORN: The player to watch in the secondary is Jaycee Horn. The sophomore from Alpharetta, Ga., made 10 starts as a true freshman a season ago, logging 45 tackles with a pair of sacks and eight pass breakups. The son of former NFL standout Joe Horn, Jaycee was named the Rex Enright Defensive Player of the Spring after being a member of the SEC All-Freshman team in 2018.
HUTZLER’S HEROES: Special teams coach Coleman Hutzler has the luxury of having all of his kickers returning for the 2019 season, including second-team All-SEC punter Joseph Charlton, who is the school’s career leader in punting average, placekicker Parker White, who connected on 81 percent of his field goal attempts last season, and kickoff specialist Will Tommie, who had 31 touchbacks on 41 kickoffs a season ago. Starting punt returner Bryan Edwards also returns for his senior season. Replacing school-record holding kick returner Deebo Samuel will be challenging to say the least. Do-it-all performer A.J. Turner and Shi Smith figure to get the first opportunity to step into the void. Charlton steps in to handle the holding duties on placements, replacing Danny Gordon, while graduate transfer Matt Oliveira will handle the deep snapping duties, replacing two-year starter Ben Asbury.
KICKING IT WITH PARKER: Redshirt junior Parker White is in his third season handling the extra point and field goal attempts. White is 27-of-41 (65.9 percent) in career field goal attempts, including 21-of-23 (91.3 percent) from inside 40 yards. He is 71-for-72 on extra point attempts.
WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER: Parker White owns three fourth-quarter game-winning field goals in his career. He provided the deciding points in wins over Louisiana Tech (2017), Missouri (2018) and Tennessee (2018).
I’M CHARLTON YOUR PUNTER: Senior Joseph Charlton returns to handle the punting chores for the Gamecocks and is an All-SEC candidate. Last season, Charlton averaged 44.8 yards per punt, fifth in the SEC and 13th nationally, while earning second-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches. His average was the best single-season mark in school history, just ahead of the 44.3-yad mark set by Daren Parker in 1989 and matched by Sean Kelly in 2015.
PUNT RETURN SPECIALIST: Bryan Edwards will again serve as the Gamecocks’ primary punt returner in 2019. Edwards handled those duties a year ago, returning 12 punts for 95 yards, an average of 7.9 yards per return, with a long of 32.
TURNER THE BURNER: Senior A.J. Turner is the most experienced kickoff returner. He has 28 kick returns for 592 yards, a 21.1-yard average, with a long of 80 against East Carolina in 2016.
WATCH ME NOW: The Gamecocks have 11 players on the Senior Bowl preseason watch list, the third-highest total in the country. The list includes Jake Bentley, T.J. Brunson, Joseph Charlton, Rico Dowdle, Bryan Edwards, Tavien Feaster, Javon Kinlaw, Kyle Markway, Donell Stanley, Keir Thomas and D.J. Wonnum.
UP NEXT: The Gamecocks open the home portion of the 2019 slate when they host the Charleston Southern Buccaneers out of the Big South Conference in a noon kick at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia on Saturday, Sept. 7. It will be the first gridiron matchup between the two Palmetto State schools. Charleston Southern is led by head coach Autry Denson, the former Notre Dame standout, who is in his first season with the Bucs. CSU posted a 5-6 record last season and open the 2019 campaign at Furman on Aug. 31. The CSU game will mark the final non-conference tilt for South Carolina until they host Appalachian State on Saturday, Nov. 9.
