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Basically ... New defensive coordinator Rick Minter plans to attack, attack and attack again with an emphasis on speed and quickness everywhere. Moe Thompson and George Gause form one of the best 1-2 defensive end punches in the SEC, and they'll be even better if the tackles step up their play. The linebacking corps got a lot faster with safety Rodriques Wilson moving in. The secondary should be better than expected even though there's little over all experience
Star of the offense: Senior DE Moe Thompson
Player that has to step up and become a star: Junior DT Freddy Saint-Preux
Unsung star on the rise: Junior CB Jonathan Joseph
Best pro prospect: Thompson
Top three all-star candidates: 1) Thompson, 2) DE George Gause, 3) LB Marcus Lawrence
Strength of the offense: Defensive end
Weakness of the offense: Defensive tackle and secondary depth
Defensive Line
Projected Starters
- Defensive end Moe Thompson, Jr. - Thompson has been a star on the Gamecock line over the last two seasons earning honorable mention All-SEC honors last year. The 280-pound junior is strong and quick finishing third on the team with 60 tackles to go along with five sacks and five tackles for loss. The big-time playmaker should be even better this year as he'll get more help from the rest of the line.
- Defensive tackle Darrell Shropshire, Sr. - The former JUCO All-American was good, but not dominant last year making 35 tackles and breaking up four passes. With a year under his belt he should be an anchor and a top run stopper allowing the great ends to be free to roam.
- Defensive tackle Freddy Saint-Preux, Jr. - The JUCO transfer started out slowly but became a good player as the year went on making 32 tackles and three tackles for loss with two quarterback hurries. He needs to start off the season on fire on the nose.
- Defensive end George Gause, Sr. - The 270-pound senior didn't quite have the season that fellow end mate Moe Thompson had, but he was good making 37 tackles and five sacks. He's linebacker quick in the body of a defensive tackle able to fly around most offensive linemen when he can't power through them.
Top Backups
- DT Preston Thorne, Sr. - Thorne was the slightly undersized (for this line) 273-pound starter on the nose until he tore up his knee. He's still looking to get back in the mix and on the field, but it still might be a while.
- DT Stanley Doughty, RFr. - With almost no experienced tackle depth, the Gamecocks will need the 315-pound redshirt freshman to grow up in a hurry and become a factor. He'll back up Darrell Shropshire.
- DE Jason Capers, Sr. - Capers is another big body on the outside with enough experience to fill in for a game or two as a spot starter. He made 22 tackles last year but failed to get a sack. He's better at stopping the run than he is at getting to the quarterback.
The Skinny: The key will be if the tackles can produce to allow the ends to be all they can be under the Rick Minter defense. The line wasn't bad last year, but the great ends, Moe Thompson and George Gause, didn't explode like they should have with the tackles able to be single-teamed. There's no depth whatsoever on the inside.
Player to keep an eye on: Freddy Saint-Preaux ... Defensive Line Rating: 7
Linebackers
Projected Starters
- Rodriques Wilson, Sr. - The former safety made 22 tackles a year ago despite being banged up for most of the year, and now he'll get one of the first looks at linebacker battling Lance Laury for a spot. He's a physical player and extremely quick becoming an aggressive defender who'll attack in the Rick Minter system.
- Marcus Lawrence, Sr. - The former JUCO All-American had a big first season on the inside finishing second on the team with 88 tackles. He can rush the passer, but his real talent is sniffing out and stopping the run.
- Ricardo Hurley, Jr. - The 233-pound junior is a tremendous combination of speed, quickness and toughness who couldn't stay healthy last season. He only made 15 tackles, but he has the talent to grow into a star on the outside.
Top Backups
- Lance Laury, Jr. - Laury has been a top linebacker in the system for the last two years making 149 tackles, but his production dropped off having problems with a knee injury. He isn't as fast or as explosive as Rodriques Wilson, so he'll have to battle for playing time on the outside.
- Orus Lambert, Soph. - One of the bigger linebackers in the mix, the 240-pound Lambert will look for playing time in the middle after making 18 tackles with an interception.
The Skinny: It's all about speed, speed and more speed. Everyone is trying to copy the LSU defense and it requires linebackers that can fly. For example, Lance Laury isn't slow by any means, but he doesn't have the jets that Rodriques Wilson and Ricardo Hurley do meaning the experienced star will have to battle for playing time. Marcus Lawrence is a strong, unheralded rock in the middle.
Player to keep an eye on: Marcus Lawrence ... Linebacker Rating: 7
Secondary
Projected Starters
- Cornerback Jonathan Joseph, Jr. - The JUCO transfer stepped in this spring and took over one of the starting spots. He has 4.4 speed and isn't a bad tackler in the open field. While he isn't Dunta Robinson, he should quickly become the team's number one corner.
- Strong safety Jermiane Harris, Sr. - The 6-4, 210-pound senior is the intimidator in the secondary. He hits like a ton of bricks and was productive in a short time finishing fifth on the team with 54 tackles even though he only started five games.
- Free safety Ko Simpson, Fr. - The 6-2 true freshman is expected to step in right away and be a top safety. He has the 4.5 speed to attack and fly all over the field, but he'll be a work in progress considering how young he is.
- Cornerback Fred Bennett, Soph. - The 6-2 Bennett played in every game as a true freshman making eight tackles. While he was mostly a special teamer, he showed a little of the size and skills that should make him become a top lock-down corner on bigger more physical receivers.
Top Backups
- SS Jamacia Jackson, Sr. - Jackson started most of last year and showed flashes of being a great player making 39 tackles and a sack. He's one of the best all-around athletes in the secondary with the 6-1, 210-pound size to be a big hitter. Now he has to be better when the ball is in the air.
- CB Taqiy Muhammad, Sr. - Muhammad has seen time at safety and at wide receiver, and now he finally appears to have found a home as a backup corner behind Fred Bennett. He made eight tackles on defense and 22 catches for 277 yards on the offensive side.
- CB Tremaine Tyler, Jr. - Tyler was a decent backup corner and a good special teams performer finishing with 18 tackles. He's a good athlete with enough experience to be counted on behind Jonathan Joseph.
The Skinny: The secondary didn't give up a ton of yards last year, but it was pillow soft in crunch time and had a hard time keeping teams from getting in the end zone allowing 23 touchdown passes. Top corner Dunta Robinson left and became the tenth pick in the draft, so now it will be up to some relatively green corners and, most likely, a true freshman at one of the safety spots. Even so, this is an extremely athletic secondary that shouldn't be too bad by about the midpoint of the year once it becomes as physical as defensive coordinator Rick Minter would like.
Player to keep an eye on: Jonathan Joseph ... Secondary Rating: 6.5
Special Teams
- Placekicker/Punter Josh Brown, Jr. - At least going into fall practices Brown will double dip handling all of the kicking chores replacing Daniel Weaver at placekicker. He missed both of his field goal attempts, getting one blocked, but he was a solid punter averaging 40.5 yards per kick dropping ten inside the 20.
The Skinny: Josh Brown will get challenged by Joey Bowers for punting duties and Charlie Carpenter at field goals. The punt returners were excellent last season as Demetrius Summers averaged 12.3 yards per return. Look for that to change with all his duties on offense. Matthew Thomas averaged 19.2 yards per kickoff return. The coverage units were miserable needing to be far tighter.
Special Teams Rating: 6
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