Three more Gamecock football players have announced they will be opting out of the rest of the 2020 season, following the Sunday firing of South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp and junior cornerback Jaycee Horn announcing Monday that he will forgo the remainder of the season to prepare for the 2021 NFL Draft.
According to interim head coach Mike Bobo, junior cornerback Israel Mukuamu, junior safety R.J. Roderick and freshman defensive lineman Makius Scott have all chosen to opt out of the three games remaining in the 2020 season.
For Mukuamu, his reasoning is to prepare for the upcoming draft next April. In three seasons as a Gamecock, he accounted for 86 total tackles, seven interceptions, one touchdown and one forced fumble. As a sophomore, he was named to the All-SEC second team.
“From the moment I arrived at the University of South Carolina, I received overwhelming support and love from individuals and staff members who were dedicated and committed to my development and personal growth,” Mukuamu said on Twitter. “Thank you for all of the memories you’ve helped create over the last three years, whether on the field, the classroom or in the community.”
As for Roderick and Scott, their decisions came down to personal and coronavirus-related reasons. In three seasons, Roderick garnered 134 total tackles, two interceptions and one sack. While Scott has yet to play this season, he was ranked by Rivals as the 88th-best player in the state of Georgia and 49th-best defensive tackle in the country coming out of high school in 2020.
With these decisions being made by three more players, there are now four total Gamecocks that will not be on the field for the remainder of the season, all of which are defensive players.
On Saturday night, South Carolina will host the Missouri Tigers at Williams-Brice Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on SEC Network Plus.