Tonka Hemingway still remembers when he stepped on the scale and saw the number for the first time.

Stuck in the paltry 200s for the longest time, when Hemingway stepped on the scale it read 300 pounds, the culmination of an almost eight month long process getting Hemingway ready to play on the interior defensive line this season.

“I looked at the nutritionist and was like, ‘Oh, I hit it!’ We started texted everybody,” Hemingway said, a proud smile curling across his face at the thought of it.

At the start of winter workouts Hemingway, who played defensive end as a freshman in 2020, sat at 265 pounds and needed to gain a lot of weight to better play his more natural position at tackle.

Also see: Insider notes from South Carolina's first training camp practice

The conversation came up in the offseason with one of his recruiters and former position coach Mike Peterson about gaining weight, something Peterson says was always in the plans for the former three-sport star at Conway High School.

“You look at a guy like that and look at the lower part of his body and say, ‘He’s going to be a big man.’ I met mom and dad and was like, ‘He’s got big features, man. This guy’s going to be big,’” Peterson said. “You never know but in your mind you’re thinking he may be inside.”

The weight wasn’t easy to put on with Hemingway having to almost eat full meals as snacks throughout the day to pair with his typical breakfast, lunch and dinner to put on 35 pounds of good weight entering training camp.

Hydration was imperative for him, drinking the recommended levels of water for someone of his size, and it finally paid off over the summer when Hemingway got to 300 pounds, which is what he’s officially listed at on the Gamecocks’ roster.

Also see: More notes from practice No. 1 with defensive scoop

“The one thing it shows is self discipline and how important football is to him and doing the little things. The little things add to big things,” defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey said. “It says a lot about his character and how much it means to him.”

And now comes the time where Hemingway needs to put it all together with the added weight and develop into a steady option for Lindsey to go to during the season.

Hemingway was met with great reviews last season—played in all 10 games with three starts and 16 total tackles at end—and had a solid spring playing underweight at tackle.

Now with a body capable of playing inside, Hemingway enters training camp with the opportunity to chisel out a role in the Gamecocks’ tackle rotation.

“He checks all the boxes as a player from doing what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it, how you’re supposed to do it,” Lindsey said. “I’m excited to see where he’s at in fall camp with the added weight. I’m expecting a lot of good things."

Also see: More from Media Day on special teams, depth, more as camp starts

With an infectious energy, it’s not hard to see Hemingway earning snaps inside this season as part of what’s expected to be a solid group of interior linemen like Zacch Pickens, Jabari Ellis, Rick Sandidge and others.

“Tonka is going to be amazing. I’ve never seen somebody with the way he works. He can be working out and be the only one out here laughing. He’d be the only one that I know that can do that,” Pickens said. “When I leave he’s going to be the next one up.”

He’s even drawing comparisons to a former Gamecock now in the NFL entering what’s expected to be a big sophomore season for him.

“He reminds me so much of DJ (Wonnum),” Peterson said. “He’s going quietly be the first guy here. He’s going to quietly get the extra work in. He’s going to quietly do everything he wants to do and he’s going to quietly be one of the team leaders and team captains on the team.”

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