Expectations for Zacch Pickens entering his freshman season

It’s been eight years since the Gamecocks come into fall practice with a five-star prospect on the roster with the last one being future No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, and now they enter the season with another in Zacch Pickens.

Pickens is the first five-star prospect to commit to Will Muschamp, coming to school with high expectations as he gets—warranted or not—compared to the last five-star defensive lineman who preceded him.

But, as Pickens begins camp and his freshman season quickly approaches, the coaches are making sure he’s worried about just being Zacch.

“His expectations need to be about playing hard, coming in with a positive mindset every day and being a great team member; all the things we talk about the Gamecock standard. None of those things take talent. It’s about effort, it’s about toughness, it’s about discipline and it’s about competitive edge,” Will Muschamp said. “If you just worry about that stuff, we won’t worry about the other stuff.”

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Pickens committed to South Carolina in April of last year then officially arrived on campus in January, going through spring practice and summer workouts with the team.

It can be a whirlwind for a freshman coming in for spring practice with the game moving so fast but it pays dividends as they get ready for their first preseason camp.

Through the first four practices since starting Friday, and his position coach John Scott Jr. says he’s seen a marked improvement in the pace Pickens has played with so far.

“We were talking about it the other day. He’s doing a great job just mentally compared to where he was,” he said. “He’s doing a really nice job and he’s playing faster. That’s a great sign that he’s getting it mentally. He’s playing a lot faster. We’re still working on his technique, like we are with all of them. That’ll continue to come with the more reps you get and the muscle memory to understand what we’re trying to get accomplished. I’ve been very pleased with where he is mentally.”

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The biggest thing that’s helped Pickens is his size, with Scott saying he looks already like a guy who’s been in the program for a few years already instead of an 18 year old.

Pickens is listed at 6-foot-3, 300 pounds, which is tied for the fourth-tallest defensive lineman on the team behind Javon Kinlaw, J.J. Enagbare and Rick Sandidge and he’s only smaller weight-wise than Kinlaw and freshman Jaquaze Sorrells, who hasn’t arrived on campus yet.

“He’s got a junior’s body as a freshman. That certainly helps,” Scott said. “Now it’s just about developing the mental part. I feel like he’s coming along with that. Now it’s just getting the technique down and playing faster.”

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What role Pickens has on the team remains to be seen, but with the way he’s progressing, Muschamp said it won’t be a surprise to see the freshman work his way into the defensive line rotation in his first year on campus.

“Zacch’s a pleaser. He wants to please you. He wants everything to be right. I try to explain to him everything’s not going to be right all the time,” Muschamp said. “You have to be able to adjust and overcome, especially playing as close to the ball as you are. I thought he made tremendous strides in the spring. How he plays this fall camp will determine what his role will be in the fall, and I expect him to have a nice role.”