GAMECOCK TALK: What Does Freshman All-American Nick Emmanwori Have Planned for an Encore?

Gamecock safety Nick Emmanwori surprised the nation by leading South Carolina in tackles in his first year on campus, earning Freshman All-American honors in the process.

What was it like to get thrown into the fire? And what does he have planned for an encore?

The rising sophomore from Irmo, South Carolina, joins Gamecock Talk this week to discuss his stellar freshman season. Despite the honors and accolades, Emmanwori isn’t satisfied.

In the excerpt below, Emmanwori shares his perspective on how coach Shane Beamer has put the team in an excellent position for the 2023 season, and what he learned during his freshman season.

HOST: It’s always tough when you’re in the SEC. But it looks especially tough again this year. How much does what you guys did last year help in terms of this year?

EMMANWORI: I feel like Coach Beamer just put us in a good position where we don’t have to listen to any of the critics or any other fans.

We gotta go out there and play. Like I said, I mean, I’m not saying we’re gonna do this or go undefeated, but I feel like we have a good chance. Especially just counting on us, the team. I feel like we have a great chance this season.

HOST: With all the success you’ve had so far through your freshman season, did you ever have that welcome to the SEC moment where either you got burned, or an older player took advantage of his experience over you, or maybe, someone lit you up in practice or something? Did you ever have that moment where you went, oops?

EMMANWORI: I can’t really think of a real welcome to the SEC moment. I probably got caught slipping a couple of times, you know, freshman things. But I’ll probably say I think it was one game against Vandy, surprisingly. It was Vandy. It was late in the fourth quarter.

We gotta keep on playing this and finish out the game. And I think one of the receivers was running the slant, and I was going to tackle the dude who caught the slant. I think a tight end came and blindsided me, and I was like, whoa. That’s the first time that ever happened. I never got put on my back before, but I got put on my butt.

I was like, wow, that’s the first time. So that’s something I just keep in my mind and stuff, but that’s probably about it. Try not to let it happen again. Yeah. Never again.

This transcript was edited for clarity. Listen to the full episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch it on Gamecocks+.