Entering this past Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, sophomore linebacker Damani Staley had appeared in nine career games for South Carolina, totaling three tackles after coming to the Gamecocks as a three-star prospect.
But injuries and fatigue meant Staley got extensive action against the Rebels, and he responded with five stops, tied for sixth most on the team. That’s part of coach Will Muschamp’s plan to get the young linebacker more snaps.
To this point, Staley has mostly been known to Gamecock fans as the son of Duce Staley, one of the best running backs in South Carolina program history and now a coach with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.