Four Gamecocks Named to Preseason Coaches All-SEC Teams
Edwards, Kinlaw, Brunson and Horn Recognized by SEC Coaches
Four University of South Carolina football players earned spots on the 2019 Preseason Coaches All-Southeastern Conference Football Team, the SEC announced Thursday. Bryan Edwards and Javon Kinlaw earned second-team honors, while T.J. Brunson and Jaycee Horn were third-team selections.
Edwards, a 6-3, 215-pound senior wide receiver from Conway, S.C., could finish his career at the top of all of the career receiving charts at South Carolina. He enters his final campaign ranked fifth in receptions (163), sixth in receiving yards (2,229) and tied for ninth in receiving touchdowns (16). A big target who possesses excellent size and hands, Edwards has appeared in 38 games, making 37 starts. He has a catch in every game in which he has appeared and has five 100-yard receiving games. He is on the Biletnikoff Watch List, was a preseason third-team All-SEC pick by the media, was a preseason first-team All-SEC selection according to CollegeFootballNews.com, and was named preseason second-team All-SEC by Phil Steele.
A 6-6, 310-pound defensive tackle from Charleston, S.C., Kinlaw has appeared in 25 games over the past two seasons, making 22 starts. He owns 12 tackles for loss among his 58 total stops, including 4.5 sacks, while deflecting eight passes, forcing three fumbles, recovering two fumbles, tallying three quarterback hurries and a pair of blocked kicks. Earlier this fall, he was selected to the preseason watch list for both the Chuck Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy, was named to the second-team All-SEC unit by the media at SEC Media Days, was a CollegeFootballNews.com second-team All-American and second-team All-SEC selection, and was a preseason first-team All-SEC performer according to Phil Steele.
Brunson, a 6-1, 230-pound linebacker from Columbia, S.C., is one of the leaders of the Gamecock defense and an all-star candidate in his final campaign for the Garnet & Black. The first recruit Coach Muschamp visited after being hired, Brunson has collected 206 career tackles over his three-year career, including 15.0 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks. He has started every game over the past two seasons for the Gamecocks. He is on the Butkus Award Watch list, was a CollegeFootballNews.com third-team All-America and first-team All-SEC selection, and a second-team preseason All-SEC performer according to Phil Steele.
Horn, a 6-1, 200-pound sophomore defensive back from Alpharetta, Ga., earned Freshman All-SEC accolades by the league’s coaches last season after making 10 starts. Horn shared the Most Productive Player Award for the defense with Brunson a year ago while playing both cornerback and nickel. He was a fourth-team preseason All-SEC performer according to Phil Steele.
The Gamecocks will open the 2019 season in Charlotte on August 31 when they take on the North Carolina Tar Heels at Bank of America Stadium. Game time is set for 3:30 pm ET and the game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
