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After one question after another regarding the depth chart South Carolina released on Monday, it was finally too much for South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White.

“I’m going to challenge you guys not to say the word depth chart around me,” White joked. “We can answer any questions, but let’s not say the word depth chart.”

Regardless of White’s lack of affinity for the term itself, the first depth chart drop did reveal some interesting tidbits about his defense and the team as a whole heading into its season opener against Georgia State on Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.

On defense, Alex Huntley is listed as one of the two starting defensive tackles alongside Zacch Pickens. While Pickens was a lock to earn a spot as one of the team’s key contributors, his partner in the middle was less certain. In the middle of a crowded group including the likes of Tonka Hemingway, T.J. Sanders and M.J. Webb, Huntley has at least temporarily earned himself the starting responsibility out of the gate.

“It’s one of those things where you can see a guy emerging,” White said about Huntley. “If a guy is coming on, how confident they are playing, the plays they make throughout training camp and just their durability and their availability.”

Of course, depth will be tested throughout the course of a 12-game regular season and it could even be pushed on Saturday against an experienced Georgia State squad. South Carolina enters the game mostly healthy, after a little bit of a rocky fall camp on the injury front.

Injuries might have played a role in some of the initial depth chart decisions, with linebacker Sherrod Greene being listed as a backup behind Mo Kaba after missing time in the middle of camp with an ankle injury. The same can be said for transfer running back Christian Beal-Smith, who was seen on a scooter during the last open practice two weeks ago and appears to have initially lost the battle for first snaps at running back to MarShawn Lloyd.

“It’s like writing a book,” offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said. “So you write chapter one with game one. This guy is going to do this with this formation, this guy is going to do that, and then you just start playing off that. What you see this week, next week you may have a little bit of that flavor, but it might be something totally different to counteract how you were attacked at set positions. You just kind of write a story all year with the different groups and formations and what you’re asking them to do.”

One key contributor who appears to be trending towards unavailability for the season opener is wide receiver Corey Rucker, who arrived in the transfer portal from Arkansas State but has been fighting a foot injury through the late stages of camp. Head coach Shane Beamer said on Tuesday he had “a ways to go to be ready” for the game, and doubled down on Wednesday’s SEC teleconference with the term “very questionable.” regarding Rucker’s status.

If he is unable to go, it will shine a brighter spotlight on the rest of the wide receiving corps. It could lead to more action for fellow transfer Antwane Wells Jr., an increased emphasis on the tight ends group or perhaps force Satterfield to change his calculus a little bit with pushing the ball downfield in the vertical passing game.

Regardless of what the actual situation looks like come game time, flexibility is going to be imperative for Satterfield on an offense with a lot of talent at the skill positions, but no superstar head-and-shoulders above the pack.

“We’ve got a lot of guys in that room that can do a bunch of different things,” Satterfield said. “The rest of those guys can do a lot of different things in the run game and with running specific routes. They’ll all have a role. And then with our tight ends and stuff, we’ve got enough guys to pick up the slack if one of our guys isn’t there.”