Jimmy Lindsey headed up a defensive line that struggled in the two key areas it was responsible to hold up in 2021: pass rush and run stopping.
The anticipation was that the Gamecocks’ defensive line would be the strength on that side of the ball. Instead, a group boasting five-star talent got gashed in the run game as the Gamecocks finished with one of the SEC’s worst run defenses (178.9 rushing yards allowed per game, fourth-worst in the conference). And it didn’t generate enough pressure, recording the third-fewest sacks in the SEC (26) and finishing No. 9 in the conference in sack rate (7.14 percent).
That line is in major need of a turnaround in order to boost Shane Beamer’s program into a higher stratosphere.
Thus far, early returns indicate a step in the right direction.
“It’s night and day from last year,” Lindsey said on Thursday. “The guys are more comfortable. They’re confident. It’s been an easy, easy transition for us. They understand my expectations and what I expect out of them as players on and off the field and in the meeting rooms. So it’s been really smooth so far.”
Lindsey noted that “attention to detail” from his players is one of the core aspects into why they have been looking sharp throughout the first eight spring practices. Some of that can be attributed to a familiar face and voice leading the way.
In an early-February meeting, Lindsey scanned the guys in his defensive line room and said he posed a question to his players.
Lindsey: “Hey, what’s great about this picture? What’s pretty cool about this picture?”
*No response*
Lindsey: “I’m the first coach you’ve had in consecutive years.”
One voice
There is a continuity and consistency piece to having the same defensive line coach for a second straight season. Lindsey noted that it offers a much easier, deeper understanding of his coaching style, his expectations, how the players should conduct themselves in drills and the types of questions they will be asked in position meetings.
“It’s been great because they’ve been able to coach the guys as I’m also trying to coach a guy that’s taking a rep at that time,” Lindsey said.
It's an important step for this defensive line to take as it will be called on once again for a major role in defensive coordinator Clayton White’s system. And the players are feeling it, too.
“Coach Lindsey, our relationship is like a love/hate relationship," defensive end Zacch Pickens said. "I love Coach Lindsey. He love me. We go at it sometimes, but in a good way. We joke around with each other. It’s good having him for another year. We never had a coach that was consistent with us. We always had a new coach each year.
“Having him coaching us, teaching us everything he knows [is important]. All he does is watch film all night – on how to get better, what we can do to get better. And now, since this is my last year, I’m gonna spend a little more time with him to get myself better and take everything that he knows and is teaching us.”