During the final 10 days until the start of South Carolina's season, Gamecock Central will use each day to take a look at 10 storylines that will most directly affect the success of Carolina's 2018 campaign.
With 10 days until gameday, we start with replacing an all-time great, linebacker Skai Moore.
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South Carolina's leading tackler for four of the last five seasons is now fighting for a starting linebacker spot with the Indianapolis Colts.
If the Gamecocks are going to continue their upward trajectory on defense, they'll have to replace Skai Moore's 351 career tackles and eye-popping 14 career interceptions, which tied the school record.
How will the Gamecocks replace Moore?
The answer can be looked at in two ways. First, who will be Moore's direct replacement in the lineup? And second, how do they replace his ridiculous production?
The first question seems fairly simple. Sophomore Sherrod Greene has been battling it out with senior Eldridge Thompson to start at the weakside linebacker - called "dime" in this scheme - that Moore filled last season.
Despite being dubbed a close competition by linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler, it would be a surprise if Greene doesn't get the start there to open the season.
"Sherrod Greene has been great since he got here," Hutzler said. "As a freshman last year playing a bunch of games for us, we bumped him out to SAM linebacker, he goes in and plays well throughout the year. For him to come into his own now as a sophomore, he's gotten a feel for it, he knows what it takes. What it takes in the meeting room, what it takes on the practice field, and he's done a great job."
Greene impressed the coaches as a reserve last year and seems poised for a possible breakout season in Year 2, but is it fair to ask him to replace Moore's all-world production? Probably not.
Middle linebacker T.J. Brunson had his own breakout season last year when he finished second on the team with 88 tackles and nearly edged out Moore for the lead. It seems likely that Brunson will replace Moore atop the Gamecocks' team tackles list in 2018 as the junior has taken another step this offseason as the unquestioned leader of the defense.
The return of Bryson Allen-Williams as a SAM and BUCK linebacker should also help the unit's ability to make plays.
As for Moore's rare knack to snag three or four interceptions in each of his four seasons in Columbia? That's nearly unheard of and Moore is one of the most natural pass-coverage linebackers that the program has ever had. The Gamecocks will likely have to rely on the secondary to pick up some of the slack there.
