SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

When South Carolina’s official depth chart came out, it included seven freshmen, two of which are listed in a starting position.

The first is Jammie Robinson, who by all accounts has been one of the best freshmen in practice so far, at nickel but the other was Jahmar Brown as a potential starter at the strong side linebacker position.

It was a little shocking given how many veterans the Gamecocks have at that spot, but it comes as less of a shock for a coaching staff who saw Brown come in and impress right away.

“Surprised me? No. We recruited Jahmar and what he was doing at St. Thomas Aquinas he’s doing now,” defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson said. “He’s fast, he’s communicating and playing with a lot of poise. And to be a freshman, that’s what it takes. He’s a mature dude. When you meet Jahmar, he doesn’t say much. He’s a quiet fellow but he earned the trust of his teammates.”

Also see: Analyzing the Gamecocks' first depth chart

Brown is listed as a starter at the SAM spot next to Sherrod Greene with the infamous OR separating the two, which means either could see first-team reps once the Gamecocks kick off Saturday against North Carolina.

Veterans Eldridge Thompson and Rosendo Louis have all taken reps there as well but Brown seems to have the edge over those two players currently.

Brown came in this summer and immediately started to impress his coaches and spent time this preseason taking snaps at a few different positions in the linebacker group.

“He’s done some good things, he’s flashing,” Coleman Hutzler said. “He’s done a good job and playing SAM, WILL and Dime, so we’re training him at two spots he’s a guy that athletically did a lot of great things when he went to camp.”

Also see: Breaking down the defensive line

The biggest knock on Brown during the recruiting process was his weight—he’s listed on Rivals at 192 pounds—but that isn’t an argument anymore.

Brown’s bulked up since getting to campus, up to 205 pounds. That’s almost 20 pounds, all good weight his coach says.

“He’s got to keep going, get stronger. He gained 20 pounds on him since he got here in two months,” Hutzler said. ”He doesn’t have an ounce of fat on him. I wish I looked like him with my shirt off. He’s doing great things and he’s going to be a good player for us.”

Also see: What we learned in week three of training camp

With Brown on the depth chart, it looks like he’ll see playing time this year (even if he doesn’t start, he seems to be a lock to play on special teams) and there is a bit of hype around him and his freshman season.

He is one of two true freshmen linebackers the Gamecocks brought in with the 2019 class along with Derek Boykins, who’s taking reps at the middle linebacker spot

“They’re young guys so they make little, minor mistakes but they’re very intelligent and want to do the right thing,” Ernest Jones said. “They want to be out there on the field and want to help the team in anyway. Just being that type of person, you’re already up there. They’re going to be real good linebackers. They’re going to be real good for us.”