Predictions for the South Carolina football team’s two-deep on defense this fall

South Carolina football is in the unique position of returning a lot of talent on defense this year while also bringing in a lot of new talent on that side of the ball.

Cornerback Marcellas Dial (6th round, New England Patriots) left the program via the NFL Draft, EDGE players Jordan Strachan (Tennessee Titans) and Tyreek Johnson (New York Jets) found themselves in NFL rookie training camps, and contributors like linebackers Pup Howard (Florida Gators) and Stone Blanton (Mississippi State Bulldogs) and defensive backs Keenan Nelson (Ohio State Buckeyes) and KaJuan Banks (South Florida Bulls) left in the transfer portal.

The transfer portal haul and talented freshman class surely will have several players who come in and contribute alongside the veteran returners for defensive coordinator Clayton White. The team added three defensive tackles, two EDGE players, two linebackers, and two defensive backs via transfer, and some of the top players from the group of freshmen are defensive players.

With a strong finish to the 2023 season (largely in conjunction with a switch to the 3-3-5 as the primary defensive look for the Gamecocks) and an influx of talent, there is optimism that USC could have a stout defense this fall.

The two-deep on offense is difficult to project because of large amounts of uncertainty surrounding new or inexperienced players. The two-deep on defense is hard to predict because there are so many players talented enough to play a role this fall.

With so many potential contributors on that side of the ball, what might the two-deep on defense look like when USC takes the field for the season opener against Old Dominion on August 31st?