A new defensive standard is being set in Columbia. At least that’s the case in redshirt sophomore safety Jahmar Brown’s eyes.
“No one will figure this defense out,” Brown said Tuesday, referencing defensive coordinator Clayton White’s 4-2-5 scheme. “Not one offense we play will figure this defense out. This defense is fun, it’s fun to be in. It’s complex. It’s all over the place.”
White’s scheme is designed to create havoc. It moves players around the field and makes it difficult on quarterbacks to decipher where defenders are lined up. Checks and calls are also being made from the secondary, as opposed to at linebacker like in most modern defenses.
During the 2020 season, Mississippi State defensive coordinator Zach Arnett devised a 4-2-5 set that created all sorts of issues for opposing offenses. Under Arnett’s guidance, the Bulldogs notched the fifth-best defense in the SEC and rode it to an upset at then-No. 6 LSU to open the season.
“It’s a multiple, aggressive scheme that allows our players to play fast, allows our defensive line to attack up front, allows our linebackers to be downhill and read great keys, and they have an opportunity to play fast,” White said in January, shortly after being hired. “Our DBs are going to be up close in coverage. Our DBs … when they’re blitzing, they’re going to be blitzing with a purpose. So that’s kind of the mindset.”
For what White might bring in creativity and defensive knowledge, he’ll be tasked with fixing a unit that was leaky at times in 2020. South Carolina finished last season 10th in total defense and 13th in rush defense in the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks also allowed 256.1 passing yards per game, good for 97th nationally.
Matters are made even more complicated as the Gamecocks lost secondary stalwarts Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu to the NFL. But there’s still reason to be optimistic in Columbia.
Head coach Shane Beamer and his staff hit the transfer portal hard over the offseason and filled positions of need. The Gamecocks added nine players through the portal — six of whom are defensive players.
Kansas transfer Karon Prunty was already running with the No. 1 defense on Tuesday during the portion of practice open to the media, despite not arriving on campus until the last few weeks. Assumption College import Carlins Platel and former Georgia State standout Jordan Strachan also lined up with the second team defense at nickel and defensive end, respectively.
“Coming in, the guys took me in,” Platel said Tuesday. “I’m learning a lot from Coach (Torrian) Gray. In practice I’ve been thrown into the fire. It’s been great.”
South Carolina, on some level, has pieces. The transfers are one part. A defensive line that boasts senior Rick Sandidge and former five-star recruits Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch is another.
Sandidge arrived at South Carolina as a four-star recruit with offers from Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina, among others. He’s appeared in 34 of 35 games in his three years in Columbia, but has largely been a reserve.
Pickens, like Sandidge, came to Columbia as one of the more sought-after players in the 2019 class. The former five-star prospect was rated the No. 8 overall player and the No. 1 defensive tackle in the class in the 247Sports Composite.
The T.L. Hanna High product earned freshman All-American honors his first season on campus and has appeared in all 22 games since arriving at South Carolina.
“It has been a little bit of a struggle trying to understand the defense,” Sandidge conceded. “But it’s very special and there’s going to be some high impact combinations.”
The 4-2-5 is a lesson in organized chaos. It’s part of what makes it so difficult to gameplan for.
South Carolina has to improve defensively to have a chance at reaching bowl eligibility in 2021. Early returns indicate the Gamecocks could be more of a problem on defense than initially prognosticated.
“I feel like there’s a lot of exciting stuff going on with our defense. We’re picking up on stuff really fast and we’ve been getting at it pretty much since the spring,” sophomore linebacker Mo Kaba said. “… We can’t wait for the first game. We’re ready to start it off.”