The Gamecock defense has seen its fair share of iterations since Will Muschamp took over, but one of the biggest philosophies might be changing next season as well.

Defensively, through the first three seasons of Muschamp’s tenure, South Carolina’s operated heavily in nickel and they could be transitioning more to their base three-linebacker set.

“We played more regular last year than we played with a SAM on the field. I want to say it’s almost 29 or 30 percent of the time we played regular,” defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said. “That’s a lot different than what we played in the past. It’ll probably be a little more this year. We have to figure out who’s going to be the SAM and who’s going to be the WILL.”

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In what Robinson calls their “regular” set, the Gamecocks have three linebackers—a middle, strongside and weakside—and using a four-man defensive backfield.

For the majority of the team’s first three years they operated in nickel, which is a four-lineman, two-linebacker set with five defensive backs: two safeties, two corners and a nickel who can cover and play near the line of scrimmage.

The change came as the defense was continuing to get hurt in the screen game and on the perimeter without a bigger-bodied linebacker out there to get off blocks and set the edge of a defense.

Last year Robinson said they played a lot more regular, which is essentially a 4-3 defense, in large part because of Sherrod Greene’s emergence as a solid outside linebacker.

While he only had 35 tackles, he notched a career-high with 6.5 tackles for loss and half a sack, turning into a viable option to make plays in space alongside starters Ernest Jones and T.J. Brunson.

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“You look at our first two years, we were hurt on perimeter plays outside with bubble screens and quick screens with people getting the ball out too fast,” Robinson said. “Sometimes we’d get outmatched when they put the tight end on the field and block our nickel real good because he’s a DB, he’s a littler guy. Now, we’re playing with a SAM.”

This year, Jones is expected to still anchor the middle linebacker spot but the Gamecocks are losing Brunson, meaning someone will have to step up this year to fill the either SAM or WILL role.

Greene and Damani Staley split reps there before spring practice with one handling SAM duties while the other plays WILL.

“We’re doing it a little different. You look at how we’re playing now and Ernest Jones is playing at the MIKE,” Robinson said. “You look at Sherrod with a combination of Damani Staley playing at the WILL and whoever’s not at the WILL is playing the SAM. It’s things like that just trying to get those guys to be versatile.”

There are other options as well with Jahmar Brown coming off a redshirt year and the Gamecocks bringing in Mohamed Kaba with the 2020 class.