W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
Hello all - I see some usernames I recognize and some I don't. To those of you I already know, it's great to see you here, and to those I don't, I'm looking forward to getting to know you and following this football (and recruiting) season along with you all. Be prepared, I'm also prone to crash tailgates from time to time. I like good food.
If you ever have any questions for me, please never hesitate to post a message or shoot me an email (link is in my profile) and I'll be happy to answer! Also, for those of you on Twitter, let me go ahead and get in a shameless plug, that you can follow me there @WesMitchellGC.
It's truly a great opportunity to work with the other great folks here at GamecockCentral.com and I'm excited to get started.
Let's get down to business... Right now, we're calling this Carolina Confidential (Working title) but I'd love to hear any other input on some ideas for the title of my tidbit posts.
Football Team Notes
Tight end Rory Anderson has been back on the field in a limit capacity previously, but I've confirmed the senior, who tore his triceps at the end of spring practice, was in a garnet full-contact jersey on Wednesday and running around looking healthy. I've gotten the sense that Anderson probably could have been doing more if he needed to, but he's a senior who has seen it all, so there was no point in rushing him back. Jerell Adams has had an excellent fall so far, so the Gamecocks tight end duo is intact and should have a big year with Dylan Thompson getting them the football.
The staff has been happy with the work ethic shown by freshman Bryson Allen-Williams and that's helped him to step into the starter's role at the BOB linebacker position, which comes on the field when the Gamecocks go to their 'money package' or 3-4 look. While Allen-Williams was obviously highly rated by all the services, he's a very driven kid and has used some of the talk that he was a 'tweener as a prospect as motivation this offseason. The BOB position has a lot of pass-rush responsibilities -- something Allen-Williams is a natural at and did a lot of in high school -- and those guys actually work with the defensive linemen when it comes to one-on-one drills against offensive linemen in order to further hone their pass-rush skills. How much of the three-man-front look the Gamecocks actually use during the season is going to be determined by a lot of factors (matchups, how successful it is, how successful the four-man look is, etc.) but Allen-Williams will be on the field a lot in that set. Allen-Williams is also working with the first team on kickoff coverage.
Senior wide receiver Damiere Byrd mentioned before camp that he still has some swelling in his knee following some workouts, but I've been told that Byrd is good to go now and the only thing causing him any real discomfort is the brace he's been wearing. That brace is more as a precaution than anything and the plan currently is for him not to wear it in the season opener against Texas A&M.
One position battle that doesn't seemed to be talked about as much as others is the one at SPUR. Obviously, Sharrod Golightly is a returning senior who was on an All-SEC team last year, but redshirt sophomore Jordan Diggs has followed up an excellent spring with a strong fall camp. Some thought Diggs might beat out Golightly last season but as a redshirt freshman he just simply didn't show the consistency needed to be ready to step into that role. This year, Diggs' comfort level is at an all-time high and he's playing fast and loose.
Linebackers coach Kirk Botkin loves the competition at all of his linebacker spots -- and those competitions will likely go on every week as the season progresses -- but I've heard Diggs has gotten some first-team reps too. While I haven't been told anything specific on how the playing time might be divided, I get the sense that both of those guys should be in line to play a lot.
Football Recruiting Notes
Class of 2016 four-star defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson's most recent trip to Columbia for the Gamecocks' scrimmage two weekends ago was a big one for South Carolina. While Jackson has obviously been on campus many times before during Allen-Williams' recruitment, the latest visit was his first chance to take a trip where his recruitment was the focal point with the chance for him to begin to build a deeper relationship with both his recruiter, defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward and defensive line coach Deke Adams.
One thing that will certainly play into South Carolina's favor in the long haul is the trust level of the family with the Carolina coaches. South Carolina told Allen-Williams throughout his recruitment that he would be featured heavily in the Gamecocks' defense and put in a position to make plays. While there's a general understanding most of the time that not every little thing that's said during the recruiting process is going to come to fruition, even with Allen-Williams only just getting started with the program, he's already being used exactly the way it was explained that he would during his recruitment. That gives the staff credibility when they explain how Jackson will be used as well.
All that said, Jackson has a different personality than Allen-Williams and he's not going to go to South Carolina just because Allen-Williams did. He'll make his own decision and the coaching staff will have to build the same type of relationship with him as it did over time with Allen-Williams, who was made a huge priority by the staff. Jackson will surely be in Columbia multiple times to see his brother play, and there's confidence from the South Carolina staff that it can ultimately land Jackson, but Jackson's recruitment will play out in its own way and right now Auburn is still the school that has his attention and has the lead for his services.
South Carolina linebackers coach Kirk Botkin has quickly developed a reputation for finding and evaluating prospects from the state of Alabama before some of the other major programs jump in with offers and that's paid off for the Gamecocks with the likes of Jonathan Walton, Taylor Stallworth (big-time future in my opinion) and Jalen Henry. When Jacorey Morris, it's easy to see what Botkin likes about the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder.
The phrase "man among boys" can be overused at times, but Morris plays at a small school and easily appears to be the biggest and best athlete on the field in many of the clips. Playing both linebacker and running back, Morris shows his versatility and that he's light on his feet for his size and that he's not scared to create contact and be physical. Morris appears to be a bit longer/taller than say Walton, but his athleticism and physicality do remind me a bit of him.
This post was edited on 8/21 12:59 PM by Wes Mitchell
If you ever have any questions for me, please never hesitate to post a message or shoot me an email (link is in my profile) and I'll be happy to answer! Also, for those of you on Twitter, let me go ahead and get in a shameless plug, that you can follow me there @WesMitchellGC.
It's truly a great opportunity to work with the other great folks here at GamecockCentral.com and I'm excited to get started.
Let's get down to business... Right now, we're calling this Carolina Confidential (Working title) but I'd love to hear any other input on some ideas for the title of my tidbit posts.
Football Team Notes
Tight end Rory Anderson has been back on the field in a limit capacity previously, but I've confirmed the senior, who tore his triceps at the end of spring practice, was in a garnet full-contact jersey on Wednesday and running around looking healthy. I've gotten the sense that Anderson probably could have been doing more if he needed to, but he's a senior who has seen it all, so there was no point in rushing him back. Jerell Adams has had an excellent fall so far, so the Gamecocks tight end duo is intact and should have a big year with Dylan Thompson getting them the football.
The staff has been happy with the work ethic shown by freshman Bryson Allen-Williams and that's helped him to step into the starter's role at the BOB linebacker position, which comes on the field when the Gamecocks go to their 'money package' or 3-4 look. While Allen-Williams was obviously highly rated by all the services, he's a very driven kid and has used some of the talk that he was a 'tweener as a prospect as motivation this offseason. The BOB position has a lot of pass-rush responsibilities -- something Allen-Williams is a natural at and did a lot of in high school -- and those guys actually work with the defensive linemen when it comes to one-on-one drills against offensive linemen in order to further hone their pass-rush skills. How much of the three-man-front look the Gamecocks actually use during the season is going to be determined by a lot of factors (matchups, how successful it is, how successful the four-man look is, etc.) but Allen-Williams will be on the field a lot in that set. Allen-Williams is also working with the first team on kickoff coverage.
Senior wide receiver Damiere Byrd mentioned before camp that he still has some swelling in his knee following some workouts, but I've been told that Byrd is good to go now and the only thing causing him any real discomfort is the brace he's been wearing. That brace is more as a precaution than anything and the plan currently is for him not to wear it in the season opener against Texas A&M.
One position battle that doesn't seemed to be talked about as much as others is the one at SPUR. Obviously, Sharrod Golightly is a returning senior who was on an All-SEC team last year, but redshirt sophomore Jordan Diggs has followed up an excellent spring with a strong fall camp. Some thought Diggs might beat out Golightly last season but as a redshirt freshman he just simply didn't show the consistency needed to be ready to step into that role. This year, Diggs' comfort level is at an all-time high and he's playing fast and loose.
Linebackers coach Kirk Botkin loves the competition at all of his linebacker spots -- and those competitions will likely go on every week as the season progresses -- but I've heard Diggs has gotten some first-team reps too. While I haven't been told anything specific on how the playing time might be divided, I get the sense that both of those guys should be in line to play a lot.
Football Recruiting Notes
Class of 2016 four-star defensive tackle Antwuan Jackson's most recent trip to Columbia for the Gamecocks' scrimmage two weekends ago was a big one for South Carolina. While Jackson has obviously been on campus many times before during Allen-Williams' recruitment, the latest visit was his first chance to take a trip where his recruitment was the focal point with the chance for him to begin to build a deeper relationship with both his recruiter, defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward and defensive line coach Deke Adams.
One thing that will certainly play into South Carolina's favor in the long haul is the trust level of the family with the Carolina coaches. South Carolina told Allen-Williams throughout his recruitment that he would be featured heavily in the Gamecocks' defense and put in a position to make plays. While there's a general understanding most of the time that not every little thing that's said during the recruiting process is going to come to fruition, even with Allen-Williams only just getting started with the program, he's already being used exactly the way it was explained that he would during his recruitment. That gives the staff credibility when they explain how Jackson will be used as well.
All that said, Jackson has a different personality than Allen-Williams and he's not going to go to South Carolina just because Allen-Williams did. He'll make his own decision and the coaching staff will have to build the same type of relationship with him as it did over time with Allen-Williams, who was made a huge priority by the staff. Jackson will surely be in Columbia multiple times to see his brother play, and there's confidence from the South Carolina staff that it can ultimately land Jackson, but Jackson's recruitment will play out in its own way and right now Auburn is still the school that has his attention and has the lead for his services.
South Carolina linebackers coach Kirk Botkin has quickly developed a reputation for finding and evaluating prospects from the state of Alabama before some of the other major programs jump in with offers and that's paid off for the Gamecocks with the likes of Jonathan Walton, Taylor Stallworth (big-time future in my opinion) and Jalen Henry. When Jacorey Morris, it's easy to see what Botkin likes about the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder.
The phrase "man among boys" can be overused at times, but Morris plays at a small school and easily appears to be the biggest and best athlete on the field in many of the clips. Playing both linebacker and running back, Morris shows his versatility and that he's light on his feet for his size and that he's not scared to create contact and be physical. Morris appears to be a bit longer/taller than say Walton, but his athleticism and physicality do remind me a bit of him.
This post was edited on 8/21 12:59 PM by Wes Mitchell
