This preseason, a lot has been made of the competition in the Gamecocks’ secondary and finding consistency at the safety position, but there’s another almost equal battle going on along the front seven.

That comes at one of the outside linebacker spots where Sherrod Greene and Eldridge Thompson are locked in a “very close” competition according to linebackers coach Coleman Hutzler.

“El kind of started a little bit of a leg back because of hamstring deal but he’s pretty much full go right now and they’re going back and forth,” he said. “Then, it gives me a chance to bump Sherrod over, put El in and TJ out for a period and Sherrod steps in and communicates well.”

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Both Thompson and Green are in their second seasons in the Gamecock scheme, and whoever wins the starting job will have to replace one of the best linebackers in school history, Skai Moore.

This linebacker duo saw extended time last season with Thompson playing in all but one game last year, picking up 10 tackles as part of the linebacker rotation. After a lingering hamstring injury limited him at the start of camp, the senior is almost back to full-go in practice.

Greene saw a little more extended time before injuries limited how much he could participate down the stretch, playing in 10 games with two starts and racking up 22 tackles.

Right now Greene is taking the majority of the first-team reps as a seasoned member of the Gamecock defense and can play both the middle linebacker and DIME spots.

“He’s got a feel for it and knows what it takes in the meeting room and on the practice field. He’s done a great job,” Hutzler said of Greene. “We have Eldridge Thompson back and he’s bumping up his mileage and getting back healthy and getting back right and those two are competing.”

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With that the only battle going on with the team’s linebacker group, now Hutzler can work to build depth at the position, most notably at the middle linebacker spot.

Whoever doesn’t win the outside linebacker job will serve as the backup there and Bryson Allen-Williams, the projected starter at SAM, has a two-year player in Danny Fennell backing him up.

Then it comes down to who will rotate in for T.J. Brunson up the middle if need be. It could be Sherrod Greene, who has the capabilities to play the MIKE spot, or two relatively inexperienced players.

Damani Staley has taken reps at middle linebacker but hasn’t played it much, and true freshman Rosendo Louis Jr. has as well when he’s been healthy.

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Staley played in six games, mostly on special teams, and Louis Jr. has been held out of practice recently with a shoulder injury.

The Gamecocks also have Ernest Jones, another freshman who has impressed the coaches and made Hutzler “excited” about what they can do.

“We need to find really two more guys,” Hutzler said. “Damani Staley stepped up and had a good couple of days in a row. I think Rosendo could be that backup MIKE but it’s how soon is the question.”

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