South Carolina lost one of their starting linebackers one half of football into the season and, after four games, are down another and a special teams stalwart for the remainder of the year.

While Sherrod Greene is down 4-6 weeks with a hip injury, the Gamecocks lost Spencer Eason-Riddle last week after the linebacker tore his ACL, a different one than he tore last year.

Because the Gamecocks are now a little thin at linebacker, it means shuffling things around with some young players primed to see more action.

“Mo Kaba is going to move over and play the MIKE behind Ernest (Jones). Damani (Staley) can do that as well,” Muschamp said. “Then Jahmar Brown is back functioning very well at the WIL and DIME position. We feel pretty comfortable there with those guys.”

Also see: Examining Saturday's star power against LSU

The Gamecocks have a few veteran players in Jones, Staley and Brad Johnson—who’s splitting his time between SAM linebacker, defensive end and BUCK—but the players behind them are young.

Brown, who’s coming off a knee sprain, is getting eased back into the fold while Kaba is coming off a torn ACL and has seen limited action this fall.

Eason-Riddle didn’t play much in terms of at linebacker, but he was what Muschamp called a stabilizing force on special teams and now Kaba will be the one to take over that role.

“Mo Kaba is going step up on kickoff and a few other things that Spencer was doing positioning. We have to have several guys step up,” Muschamp said. “Spencer was a leader on our special teams group. He did a great job getting those guys organized on the field making calls. We have to have other guys step up in his absence.”

Also see: Insider notes from Tuesday's baseball scrimmage

When healthy, Brown is the team’s starting DIME linebacker and Muschamp has raved about his physical ability and coverage skills.

Kaba, one of the steals in the 2020 recruiting class, is also getting good reviews from Muschamp a little over a year removed from tearing his ACL.

It’s taken a little bit of time to get Kaba adjusted coming off the knee injury and being a typical freshman, but Muschamp likes what he’s seen.

“It’s important to him. He’s in the building all the time. He’s up here learning, asking questions,” Muschamp said. “He’s going to be a really good player. He’s coming off an ACL and he’s a freshman. There are two things there he’s battling to overcome. As far as the effort, physicality and the type of young man he is, he’s exactly what we want in the program.”

Also see: What Jalen Brooks's eligibility means for South Carolina's offense

It remains to be seen how much Kaba will play this weekend when the Gamecocks kick off at LSU (7 p.m./ESPN) but Muschamp likes the player he is and the player he can turn into.

“The good thing is he’s extremely bright and works really hard at it,” Muschamp said. “We put a lot on our safeties and linebackers. Those guys have to communicate and have to be able to make it easier on the defensive line and corners. I think he’s going to be a really good player here.”