South Carolina comes into year 2 of the Will Muschamp era looking to find the answer to the same question they’ve had since 2014: the pass rush.

Long gone are the days of players such as Jadeveon Clowney and Devin Taylor wreaking havoc in the opposing team’s backfield. The Gamecocks have struggled to generate a true rush off the ends since 2013, as they totaled just 19.5 sacks as a team in 2016. To put things in perspective, South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney had 13 sacks of his own in 2012.

Will Muschamp has stated the Gamecocks will lean on their veterans to make a big impact on the defensive line. However, their best rusher may lie in the hands of a savvy young sophomore.

Meet The Defensive Ends…

DE – #95 Dante Sawyer, Sr / #5 Keir Thomas, Soph

DE – #8 DJ Wonnum, Soph / #35 Daniel Fennell, Soph

*Bold denotes starter

Most To Prove…

Dante Sawyer. Will Mushchamp has preached all off-season that in order for his defensive line to have a successful season in 2017, the seniors will have to play a huge role. Senior DE Dante Sawyer has had a solid overall career at South Carolina. But for the once top recruit and Under Armour All-American game participant, 2017 needs to be his breakout year. Sawyer benefited this past off-season from being healthy and getting a full year of lifting in for the first time since he’s been on campus. It has shown as he looks to be a bigger stature this fall and looks like a true SEC defensive end. The Gamecocks will need him to generate a pass rush and lead some of the younger talent South Carolina has scattered across the front four.

Best Overall…

DJ Wonnum. Even with his youth, his upside is what gives him the nod here. Wonnum showed off his size and strength last season, pushing around wimpy offensive lineman in his limited playing time. As a freshman, DJ recorded 32 total tackles, 3.5 TFL, along with 1.5 sacks. He should only get better going into his sophomore year and has drawn rave reviews from South Carolina coaches in fall camp. While he may also spend some time at the BUCK position, Wonnum will have one job this fall: get to the quarterback.

Season Will Be Successful If…

Throw me in the jungle , Ima rumble for my life 👊🏾 pic.twitter.com/82EbhZC4hT — Shameik Blackshear (@91_to_kool) February 25, 2017

Generate a pass rush without the blitz. Much easier said than done. This is a unit that hasn’t been able to generate a consistent pass rush since 2013. Quarterbacks have benefited, shredding the Gamecock secondary in 2014 and 2015 before finally seeing some improvement last season. The Gamecocks will need to get creative with Wonnum and Sawyer and get them in looks that will allow them to use their skills to get in the backfield. The Gamecocks will also need players like Sophomore DE Keir Thomas and DE Daniel Fennell to provide depth. Also, one big player to watch for this fall will be RS Sophomore Shameik Blackshear, who has battled through his fair share of adversity since he stepped on campus. Players and coaches alike have raved about Blackshear’s development and performance. It would be a huge boost if he could come into form and be the player everyone expected him to be during his recruitment.

Overall Grade…

I told you they don't love you they just wanna do you 🤐#gamecocknation pic.twitter.com/eRPPDDztkG — Keir Thomas (@_popcool) November 7, 2016

C+. While Sawyer and Wonnum should be solid off of the edges, who will step up behind them? As previously mentioned, having guys like Keir Thomas and Shameik Blackshear step up and make an impact would be huge for this defense. Another name to watch for will be Freshman Aaron Sterling. He has drawn rave reviews from the coaches in fall camp and should see the field this fall. A lot of this unit’s performance will rely on Senior Dante Sawyer. The young guys will rely on his leadership and veteran presence. This needs to be his best season wearing the garnet and black. The ceiling is high for this group, but they’ll have to go out and prove it this fall before Gamecock fans believe it.

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