Dixon, other freshmen expected to play Saturday
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
Looking at the Gamecocks’ depth chart, a quick scan shows the typical names in the cornerback—Jayce Horn, check; Israel Mukuamu, yep; AJ Turner? makes sense—but there’s also one freshman who did enough over a pretty short time to earn a spot on the two-deep.
John Dixon, who’s only been on campus for about three months, is already the No. 2 behind Horn after coming in this summer and solidifying a spot as a top four corner.
“He has a lot of talent and plays with a lot of feistiness to him. That’s what I like about him. If he messes up, he’s messing up at 110 percent,” Horn said. “He’s wiling to compete with anybody. You see him out there mixing it up with B-Ed (Bryan Edwards). He just wants to compete at the end of the day, and those are the types of guys I like."
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Dixon was a South Florida player the Gamecocks pulled away from Miami, among others, and head coach Will Muschamp said when the 6-foot, 190-pound lanky corner signed he thought Dixon was built to play man-to-man coverage in the team’s defensive scheme.
Through fall camp, it looks like the coaches were right about him. He’s fitting in well with the cornerback group and impressing his teammates with his skill set.
Playing corner under Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson doesn’t take as much learning as the safety spot but it requires a lot of talent and a certain mentality, Horn said.
“Learning it, I wouldn’t say it’s that hard. But playing it? It’s extremely hard,” he said. “You’re on your own a lot out there in our defense at corner.”
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Now, as the Gamecocks gear up for their season opener against North Carolina Saturday, the big question is how much will Dixon and the rest of the Gamecocks’ four freshmen play?
It looks like Jammie Robinson will see his fair share of snaps after breaking onto the depth chart as the starting nickel, but Muschamp said the other three—Dixon, Cam Smith and Shilo Sanders—will all make some sort of impact, which could come on special teams.
“Obviously, all the secondary guys (will play),” Muschamp said. “John Dixon's had a really good camp. Cam Smith, Jammie Robinson and Shilo Sanders are all guys that will travel and contribute in some form."
The Gamecocks have a few other freshmen they’d like to play as well after spending the last month evaluating how each first year player can impact this year’s roster.
They have six true freshmen listed as backups on the two deep—Jakai Moore at left tackle, Vincent Murphy at center, tight end KeShawn Toney, Ryan Hilinski as the No. 2 quarterback, Zacch Pickens at defensive tackle and Dixon at corner.
Jahmar Brown is listed alongside Sherrod Greene as the SAM linebacker starter and Robinson is the starting nickel and backup safety behind J.T. Ibe.
Most of those guys will see playing time Saturday, Muschamp said, along with a few other guys not currently listed on the depth chart.
"Xavier Legette at the receiver position has done a nice job. KeShawn Toney at tight end has done a nice job for us. I think the offensive linemen that were listed, Jakai Moore and Vincent Murphy are both guys that we feel like really made some progress in camp. Ryan Hilinski, obviously at the quarterback position,” Muschamp said.
“Zacch Pickens up front and Joe Anderson has an opportunity as he's certainly going to travel with us on game day. Jahmar Brown is on the depth chart and has had a really good camp. He's a guy we're excited about on defense and on special teams.”