Going into the month of August, the odds Jazston Turnetine would be the Gamecocks’ opening day starter at left tackle were pretty high.
Now, three weeks into training camp and less than 20 days until kickoff against Tennessee, those odds have gotten a bit murkier.
“He’s been very inconsistent, and Jaz would be the first person to tell you that,” offensive line coach Eric Wolford said. “We have a lot of things on his plate and it’s an important position to play. He’s been very inconsistent in his play and he has to get better at it. He knows that. We have high expectations for him.”
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Turnetine, who played junior college ball at Hutchinson, enrolled this spring but unfortunately was only able to go through five spring practices before COVID-19 shut things down.
That stunted his development some in terms of obviously learning what’s expected of him at the left tackle position and, while he’s had OTAs and now camp to get up to speed, is still going through a few growing pains.
There’s no doubt he’s a talented player and one of the biggest on the team at 6-foot-7, 330 pounds. Wolford talked Tuesday as if Turnetine is the left tackle of the future at South Carolina but mentioned it might take some time to get him game-ready.
“Dennis Daley wasn’t ready his first game. He wasn’t ready. Sometimes it takes junior college players longer to get their feet wet without spring ball,” Wolford said. “Dennis got here in the summer and now Dennis is the starter for the Carolina Panthers. When he’s ready, we’ll put him in. if he’s not, we’ll shelve him for a year."
If Turnetine doesn’t get the nod Sept. 26 against Tennessee, it means the Gamecocks will need to find a replacement with a few options on the table.
Right now Wolford said Jakai Moore and Vershon Lee are two young players taking snaps at left tackle, but the most likely option is moving Dylan Wonnum from left to right and substitution one of those two or Jaylen Nichols in on the right side.
For linemen it can be challenging to move from one side of the line to the other, but Wolford isn’t concerned if Wonnum ultimately has to do that.
“I think it (difficult) for some people, but when you’re talking about the level of athlete Dylan is, it’s not as hard as you think as long as you work at it in practice,” he said. “He’s had reps at it. He’s played it in the game. He’s very familiar with it and feels comfortable over there. At the end of the day, we’ll always get the best five on the field.”
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The Gamecocks seemingly have their interior line set up with Sadarius Hutcherson and Jovaughn Gwyn at guards—although Jordan Rhodes could come in and earn a starting spot as well now that he’s opted back in—and Eric Douglas at center.
“However it works out, I can’t promise you, but everyone’s competing for a spot all year long,” Wolford said. “It might be a couple guys playing right tackle or right guard. Whoever grades out the best is going to start the next game.”
