Moore, Holloman expected to be playmakers
The South Carolina defense has instability in the secondary and inexperience on the defensive line. Early on in 2014, the team will need to be the linebacking corps that holds the Gamecocks’ defense together, as the unit works on becoming cohesive.
Compared to the rest of the defense, the linebackers have experience. The pool of linebackers and spurs vying for playing time has over 30 starts under their collective belts, something the other position groups cannot boast. Still, linebackers and spurs coach Kirk Botkin is hesitant to call his troops seasoned.
“We’re still not old, and we’re still not quite where we need to be,” Botkin said. “But they’re improving, they’re getting better, just some little things we gotta keep working on.”
Despite returning all of its starters from 2013, two of the incumbents will not be starting in Thursday’s opener.
Sophomore Skai Moore will not start, as he did not receive treatment after injuring his shoulder in practice when coaches asked him to. The sophomore will still see significant playing time and figures to start moving forward, but it will be sophomore Jonathan Walton starting in his place Thursday.
Moore, who led the team in both tackles and interceptions last season, is poised for a breakout season after earning a second team Freshman All-American nod in 2013. Botkin does not expect Moore to carry the unit on his back, but acknowledged the special talent that the Cooper City, Florida native possesses.
“He’s got a knack for the football and does a good job of reading the quarterback’s eyes,” Botkin said. “He’s a good football player.”
Meanwhile, Moore showed confidence and embraced the rising expectations that came with national recognition he received following his two interceptions in the 2014 Capital One Bowl win over Wisconsin.
“I feel like it’s important to go out there and just make as many plays as possible and put us in a position to win,” Moore said.
At the middle linebacker position, redshirt sophomore T.J. Holloman made significant advances during the spring and summer to win the starting job away from junior Kaiwan Lewis, who started 10 games during the 2013 campaign.
Holloman had three interceptions last season, but was regarded as a coverage linebacker rather than the complete package heading into camp. According to defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward, Holloman put on 15 pounds of muscle, began unleashing vicious hits in practice, and showcased that he could defend the run.
Redshirt senior Sharrod Golightly returns for his final season to play the Spur position. Golightly recorded 47 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and recovered two fumbles in 2013 en route to a second-team All-SEC selection.
Also vying for time at the Spur position is redshirt sophomore Jordan Diggs, who started over Golightly in the Capital One Bowl and recorded a career-high six tackles in the victory.
A strength for this South Carolina linebacking corps is the depth the team maintains across the board. Thanks to the flexibility of freshman linebacker Bryson Allen-Williams and sophomore Marcquis Roberts, the Gamecocks are somewhat more adept to play a 3-4 defense when not playing the 4-2-5 than they had been in years past.
Allen-Williams, who was ranked by ESPN as the No. 10 outside linebacker in the class of 2014, had offers from over 20 other major schools. His presence gives South Carolina another explosive pass rusher for Botkin and Ward to deploy.
“We’ve always had the ability to go from 3-down to 4-down,” Botkin said. “We’re just doing it with a little different personnel right now.”
No matter the uncertainty Botkin may have about how to deploy his linebackers, his unit must lead the way if the Gamecocks are to remain unscathed.