The South Carolina football team has a gaping hole on the roster at the EDGE positions, especially at the hand-in-the-dirt defensive end spot. With two starters transferring out this offseason (Jordan Burch and Gilber Edmond), a high-profile suspension (Monteque Rhames), another transfer portal casualty (Rodricus “Hot Rod” Fitten), and three relatively injury-prone seniors (Jordan Strachan, Tyreek Johnson, and Terrell Dawkins), the room is thin.
4-star true freshman Desmond Umeozulu and transfer sophomore Jatius Geer will be good players for the Gamecocks, but after that, the position group is a mystery moving forward. In 2023, some players may have to play out of position (defensive tackles moving outside or linebackers putting their hands down at end), and young players like Umeozulu will be forced into contributing early.