Pickens 'definitely looks the part' this spring

SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

It hasn’t taken long for Zacch Pickens to start turning the heads of some of his teammates.

The Gamecocks have only been on the practice field four times so far this spring, but that’s enough of a sample size to know Pickens already looks the part of an SEC defensive lineman.

“I’ve only seen him a little bit but I would say Zacch Pickens,” AJ Turner said when asked about the team’s newcomers. “I feel like he definitely looks the part and seeing the little things he does he’s really natural compared to other people.”

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Pickens comes in as a five-star recruit and the highest-ranked signee so far in four recruiting classes under Will Muschamp.

The 6-foot-3, over 290-pounder comes to South Carolina as the No. 9 player in the country and the No. 1 prospect at his position in the 2019 class out of T.L. Hanna (S.C.).

Pickens had to overcome a nagging injury that limited him at the start of spring practice but has been turning heads recently at how well he moves, especially as a guy with only four practices under his belt.

“I feel like some people are more robotic,” Turner said. “They don’t really know what’s going on and what to expect from the coaches so they’re moving slow. You can tell he’s just really natural with his stuff. I definitely pick that up.”

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Turner, who’s taking reps at defensive back through the first two weeks of spring practice, doesn’t get to spend too much time with Pickens but can see the intangibles in team drills.

And the people that spend even more time with him can see what kind of player Pickens has the potential to be.

Fellow defensive end J.J. Enagbare gets an up close and personal look at Pickens every day in not only team work but individual drills during practice and sees how good Pickens has been to start his career.

“He’s big and fast and strong,” Enagbare said. “He’s going to be a great player for us.”

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Pickens joins a defensive line group that returns almost every player from last year’s team, getting a few injured players in D.J. Wonnum and Aaron Sterling back in the fold.

Defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said this year’s line is easily the deepest and most talented position on the field and adds guys like Pickens, Joseph Anderson and Devontae Davis into the mix.

Right now, Pickens is working mostly at defensive end and Enagbare thinks there’s a chance this group could turn into something special.

“I feel like we’re two to three deep,” he said. “We legit have depth this year and have people that can contribute different sets of skills that are going to help the team.”