Football is back in Columbia.
The Gamecocks took to the field for the first practice of the season Tuesday as they begin preseason camp.
It's been a long wait for the Gamecocks who last practiced in March (excluding OTA workouts in July) and they have a few impact players who will try now to chisel out some playing time this fall.
As practice begins, GamecockCentral wanted to look at a few guys to track closely over the next 39 days.
Cam Smith
Smith is one of the biggest wildcards in the secondary as a developing cornerback who could give the Gamecocks some versatility on the back end. Smith is primarily a cornerback but, if he can work himself into the starting lineup it allows Israel Mukuamu to play a little safety and adds another piece to what could be a very good secondary.
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He had great reviews in a shortened spring practice, but he's a name to watch and track his progress as the Gamecocks inch closer to playing games.
Jordan Burch
A lot of talk during preseason camp will center around Burch, who comes in as the No. 17 player in the 2020 class, and Will Muschamp, both coordinators and every player will field their fair share of questions about him over the next month.
The Gamecocks need someone to take hold of the starting BUCK position and Burch could be that guy. Even if he doesn't, a lot of talk during preseason camp will focus on the homegrown talent.
Zacch Pickens and Rick Sandidge
Again, it might be cheap to put both of the players together but the Gamecocks need one, or both, of those guys to step up with Javon Kinlaw and Kobe Smith now in the NFL.
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Pickens was the first five star of the Muschamp era and Sandidge has been a key piece in the defensive line rotation during his last two seasons. With the Gamecocks needing to find two starting defensive tackles, those guys will be well talked about during practice.
Jaylin Dickerson
If there's was a weakness last season defensively, it would have been the safety spot and the Gamecocks need to find a way to bolster that in 2020. One of those would be finally keeping Jaylin Dickerson healthy.
The oft-injured safety who would get regular snaps if healthy is coming off a season-ending hip surgery in 2019 and will be a factor into the team's starting safety competition this fall. Time will tell if he'll win the spot, but he's definitely a guy to play attention to.
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Brad Johnson
Johnson struggled to get on the field last season battling a groin injury but he's healthy now and has a chance to impact two positions: BUCK and outside linebacker.
The Gamecocks need players to fill the voids left by D.J. Wonnum and T.J. Brunson and Johnson will likely be a guy heavily involved in the the competitions for both starting jobs.
