Ernest Jones hasn’t done any of it yet, but man is he itching to.

The Gamecocks’ middle linebacker missed the last month of training camp after an appendectomy during the offseason and is slowly working himself back into the mix as the Gamecocks end week No. 4 on Saturday.

Jones was back in practice in the infamous bright-yellow, non-contact jerseys this week and the next step for him is one he’s been dreaming of: hitting someone else.

“Oh, I can’t wait,” he said, a smile sprawling over his face. “I can’t wait.”

Jones had the surgery and was shut down for a few weeks where he couldn’t do anything but recover from the surgery.

Gearing up for his return to practice, he was doing more conditioning work and watching practice from the sidelines and now he’s back in it, at least somewhat.

Jones still isn’t getting the full reps he would be getting if he was 100 percent healthy with the coaching staff opting to ease him back in and not put any unwarranted stress on his body.

“I would say I feel 100 percent but my reps are still limited for the simple fact that I’ve been out a month and these guys have been in fall camp,” Jones said. “I haven’t hit anybody; I haven’t been able to do any football things. They didn’t want to push myself back into the role. They’re easing me back into it. I believe I’ll get reps at the scrimmage to go out there and see how I’m feeling.”

While he was out, Damani Staley took over at the middle linebacker and reviews from the coaching staff have been positive about his performance.

Jones, who anchored that spot last year, said he’s seen a big jump in not only Staley’s development but everyone in the linebacker room without him on the field.

“They’ve been doing a really good job. It’s the next man up mentality. They’ve definitely stepped up and each one is playing at a real good level right now,” he said. “I’m excited adding myself back in the mix to see what we can do as far as depth. They’ve been doing a good job from what I can see on the sideline and in the meeting room.”

Jones first started feeling pain in her stomach during South Carolina’s OTA-style workouts and in practice felt like a “tight, sharp pain” in his stomach. After getting tests, doctors found out Jones needed to have his appendix removed.

Now the only thing left is for the centerpiece of the defense get back to full speed with Jones eager to show he’s even better than his 97-tackle performance as a sophomore.

“I don’t feel like this appendix surgery hasn’t made me any less of a player,” Jones said. “I’m ready to go back and do what I did last year and do more than what I did last year.”