Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] On this episode of Cox Talking Gamecocks. South Carolina is a Nike school. Football makes national headlines. And which underclassmen can be top performers? Okay, here we go.
[00:00:54] Okay.
[00:00:56] Welcome to episode 395 of Cox Talking Gamecocks. I am your host, Tim Cox, where I will keep every episode from 1801 to 2001. Happy 4th of July, y'. All. Happy birthday, America. 250 years young and going strong.
[00:01:17] I mean, patriotism right now with the World cup, my goodness, like, bringing people together from every walk of life.
[00:01:26] This U.S. men's National Team is absolutely electric. I am hooked on the World Cup.
[00:01:31] It feels like this is a turning point in American sports culture for soccer, if we're talking big picture. But in the short term, it's just so exciting to see this team performing to the level that there was a lot of hype around and like, these players, like, are good. Can they come together? We got Pac, the new coach, like, all of it. It's just so exciting to see more. Monday can't come soon enough for the next round. You know, terrible red card be damned. Like, absolutely love what we're seeing there. And then you're wrapping that into America 250. It's just been an incredible start to July and a whirlwind last few days. And on top of it, this has been an incredibly busy week for the Gamecocks. I mean, my head has been spinning. Sometimes in the summer you get a couple weeks where it's really just lulz. But no, not this week. Not for the Gamecocks. There's a lot to cover here, but I mean, first and foremost, before I jump into the rest of the show here, South Carolina is a Nike school, y'. All. I mean, the day has finally come after, what was it, a 10 year relationship or so? Maybe it was more than that, actually. Whatever. However many years long relationship with Under Armour, we are officially moving to Nike. This was a long awaited change for a lot of fans for a lot of reasons.
[00:02:52] And in typical Gamecock fashion, it was met with some criticism.
[00:02:56] We can't get the garnet right, apparently. I, I, I, I don't freaking know. Like, it seems like some shirts. Yeah, the garnet looks different on a, you know, cotton T shirt than it does a performance dry wear. But I mean, that tends to be every color, is it not? And then there's all the hoopla with how Nike buckets their colors. Where there you have like crimson and that, that's like anything dark red. That's just how they organize it. It's a multi billion dollar company if they were to have every line item with every pantone that just wouldn't work like they are making Garnet products.
[00:03:34] I did see some items that looked more red, but I've seen Under Armour products that look more red and I'm sure over time this partnership will only get better and tweaks will be made. But the fact of the matter is recruits like Nike, Nike looks better, feels better, and we're in Nike school now so we're not that weird Under Armour school with the weird cleats anymore. Like finally nice normal Nike. And I have to revamp my game day polo attire big time. But all right, let me jump into the content here of the rest of the episode here. Of course, starting things off with a piece of Gamecock trivia for y' all here. So here we go.
[00:04:15] Before joining the Gamecocks football team, Hayden Hurst played pro baseball for two years in the minor leagues. Which MLB's farm system did Hurst play from 2013 to 2014? I know this one right off the bat. Give y' all a second. Here it is. The Pittsburgh Pirates. Shout out to the Garnet Thor. Shout out to Hayden Hurst. I say this every time. I feel like I've pulled this trivia fact before in summer's past. But do y' all remember when the punt return unit was so ass that one year under mush champ, like no one could hold on to the ball and there was fumbles galore. They put Hayden Hurst back there for a game or so, literally just to go catch the ball. Like there was no expectation of him to go run or break a good return. It was just go out there and catch the ball and stand still and make sure we don't give up a possession. That is a highlight of mine, of Hayden Hurst. He did a lot of great things, got himself a first round draft pick. But yeah, that random ass game or two where he returned punts is a fun memory of Hayden Hurst at South Carolina. But all right, let's get down to brass tacks here. Got a few updates for y' all here from the baseball team and then we're going to spend the rest of the episode talking about football.
[00:05:31] Some more transfers coming in as Kevin Schnall's roster is continuing to take shape and there very well could be some that I miss here. There really, truly has been a flurry of activity really since he's been hired, but two that I wanted to highlight here. Outfielder Bristol Carter is transferring from Auburn. Last year he batted.298 with 31 stolen bases. That's the type of player that Kevin Schnall is going to want to have hit for average and be able to run the bases. And if you've been paying attention, he's not the first guy who I've said with similar numbers, particularly with stolen bases and being able to run well.
[00:06:10] I think it was Carter who had just throw a really great quote that's like basically when he steps between the lines on the baseball field like it's full go. I'm running through a brick wall like anything that we have to do to win. And Coach Null matches that same intensity, which is just so great to hear. I picture Schnall as like a guy who when you sit in a room with him, he just commands respect, commands attention, and the kind of guy that can just get you jacked up just by sitting and having a cup of coffee with you. And it's rubbing off because we have made a serious impact on some high value transfers. Next here. Infielder Garrett Mitchell is transferring from Arizona State. He's had an interesting college career. I believe he was also at Virginia initially where he did nice freshman year, then battled through some injuries, been a little up and down. Last year he batted.277 with 20 RBI. So bring him on campus. Maybe not expected to be, you know, this day one massive contributor or maybe not even a day one starter, I don't know. But bring him in, see if you can get some good ball out of him and you know, be a contributor. So a couple, a couple nice additions to the baseball program there and then sticking with the recruiting vein, talking football here. A huge, huge piece of news on the recruiting trail for the Gamecocks as the football team made national news. With five star cornerback Josh Dobson committing to USC over Texas A and M, Michigan and others. This was a big, big deal. This was if you follow recruiting, which I know has gotten maybe a little less in vogue lately with the transfer portals and things like that. But this was a recruitment that really came down to the wire. South Carolina has built years of a relationship with Dobson. He's from North Carolina. It seemed like A and M was making that late push and you know, they got the money. Elko is a defensive mind. It seemed like they, this was trending A and M. But then as it really came down to the wire, you started to hear that Gamecocks were back in the driver's seat and ended up committing to Carolina. Dobson is ranked the number one player in North Carolina, the number three corner nationally, and the number 17 player overall, nationwide, according to 247Sports, this is an elite athlete, an elite recruit and an elite pickup.
[00:08:43] I may need to fact my ch. Fact check. Check my facts, whatever. Someone fact checked me here.
[00:08:50] I think I saw he is the highest rated defensive back recruit to commit to South Carolina and if so, like, wow. Because there have been some great players come through Carolina, but a lot of those guys have developed. I think Gilmore was really highly rated, now that I'm saying it, but nonetheless, let's see where Dobson ranks. But when you bring in a player like this, you're bringing in a potential cornerstone of your defense for years to come, right? Like, it's crucial to have great defensive backs, especially in the sec.
[00:09:26] I'd say on, on the defensive side of the ball, edge, rusher and corner, right, Those are your two top premier positions. And if you have elite talent there, they can change games. Right? And so this is someone who's gonna, who's gonna need to come in. He projects as a multi year starter. Of course he has to develop. He's got to put some weight on. He's got to get bigger, faster and stronger. But from everything I've seen, he plays with great instinct, he's speedy, he has great hands. Currently listed at 6:1, which is good height for a DB, 185 pounds. So yeah, you get them into an SEC nutrition program and weight room, that's only going to go up, probably going to grow even still. So nonetheless, very, very, very exciting news and it was interesting. I've covered a few commitments over the last few weeks.
[00:10:21] There were some good ones there, but June was a little slower than we've had in past years.
[00:10:28] Picked up towards the end of the month. But man, July starts off with a bang and I think there's still a couple of big targets out there and this is the kind that can get other recruits excited and maybe give South Carolina another look if they were considering elsewhere. But wow, welcome home. Josh Dobson on. On the same day as Nike too, might I add.
[00:10:50] Just saying the Garnet looks fine for Josh Dobson. If it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. That's, that's all I'm saying.
[00:10:58] All right here. Sticking with football here and as we do, we are working our way towards kickoff and working our way through off season previews, thoughts, takes and everything like that. So I wanted to talk about underclassmen that I have high hopes for because that's the next generation here and it always is exciting when there's some younger players who take that next step where whether it's right away in the back half of the year and to see those young players contribute in meaningful ways can be a difference maker down, down the line as you progress through a season. Because now it's another player that opponents have to account for. But it also gives you that sense of, okay, this is what the future could hold for our team.
[00:11:47] You know, I remember when Lenoris came in, in a blowout, I want to say, against Furman, he replaced Rattler and he threw that dime and you're like, okay, this kid can play. I'm excited about him. You'd already kind of heard about him. There's plenty of other instances where young players have stepped in and you got excited. And some of my guys are on the list here, listed as sophomores for what they did last year. So let's jump into this here. I picked five players, top five, no particular order of underclassmen that I have high hopes for.
[00:12:19] Starting off with freshman edge Julian Walker. How can you not?
[00:12:24] I mean, this was.
[00:12:26] Talk about a highly rated recruit. This is an incredibly highly rated recruit with a big, big recruiting battle that South Carolina won. He comes in with all the skills that you want to be an impactful edge rusher for this defense.
[00:12:46] I've said it before, I don't know if he's going to be the Dylan Stewart or Jadavian Clowney where it's game one.
[00:12:53] I'm making an impact.
[00:12:55] I honestly could see him needing some time to develop.
[00:12:59] I do think he's going to play meaningful snaps right away, especially when we talk about those first two games. Hopefully you're cruising in the, in the second half and you're playing almost all of those edge. Room is a little thin right now. He's gonna need, he's gonna need to develop quickly, but if you can get and somewhat effective. Right. Still, freshman young Julian Walker with Caleb Herring and Dylan Stewart, that is a formidable trio.
[00:13:30] And especially late in the year, like those last three or four games, if Walker's really come into his own to pair him with Stewie, that's a fantastic combo. I mean, playing with Stewart was part of the reason why Walker chose South Carolina. But then if you want to take it a step further and say, okay, well, it's crazy to say, not this season, but the following.
[00:13:53] Walker could be that guy, that top edge. Stewie's definitely going to the NFL.
[00:13:58] Who knows, you know, who is behind him in that instance. Right. But that could be your premier edge rusher that you're saying, okay, he had A pretty good freshman year. We need him to step up in his sophomore season to be that top edge for Carolina.
[00:14:14] Next. I got sophomore wide receiver Jaden Sellers. Loved what we saw at the end of the year from him. That's what I'm talking about, where someone progresses and develops throughout the year. And then those last couple of games, they pop off, they're tough to account for.
[00:14:30] And then you have them for next season. You're already excited about him. Obviously he has the chemistry with the quarterback, but I was thinking about it and I don't know if Jaden can ever play on the outside just because of his build, but some of the things he was able to do last season and he can. He can do special teams. He's really great on the slants and can make guys miss. He's great with, you know, catching and running.
[00:14:57] Is it crazy to compare him to Deebo Samuel?
[00:15:01] I mean, you know, a little bit of a different build, but Deebo was not the tallest dude. He was great in the slot. He could do a little bit on the outside, contributed in special teams. I don't know. I could see that, the comparison there, especially as Jaden develops and gets bigger, stronger and faster. So really excited to see what he does for us this upcoming season. I really like the wideouts. I've talked about it before. My next one here is sophomore wideout Donathan Murph. This was a take your pick. There's a couple of sophomores and a couple of redshirt freshmen on the team who were part of that big recruiting class for wide receivers that you could have picked. Like really, this was. This was a tough choice. Splitting hairs here. I've been a fan of Donovan Murph since he was a recruit.
[00:15:49] I liked when he was able to contribute a little bit last season.
[00:15:53] I think he's going to continue to develop. Honorable mention Lex Cyrus didn't really play last year. I think he could. He could do. There's. There's a few other guys out there. Gid Ron. But nonetheless, sticking with the sophomores here, Offensive lineman Shed Sarat.
[00:16:10] He had to play some and was being talked highly about last year and he could have transferred out like many other offensive linemen did, but he stayed and I think that's because he believes in Coach Beamer and everything that he's building.
[00:16:27] When Coach Clem and Coach Briles came in, you saw some more exodus. He stayed.
[00:16:33] Talked about the offensive line, how it's a potential question mark when you talk about gelling together and some of the depth Shed Sarat is a guy that excites me because of his youth and because he did some good things as a freshman. He has all the physical abilities that you want. I think with some true genuine coaching, he can develop into a good offensive lineman. We'll see if he fits into this starting unit. But nonetheless, that's a guy that I would love to see in the two deep, whether it's at guard or at tackle. I think I want to say guard might be his more natural position. Could be wrong there, but nonetheless, he is a player that I am excited about and you're going to need that, right? Like, if you look at the roster, there's freshmen and redshirt freshmen, sophomore offensive linemen that don't get talked about.
[00:17:23] You need that. You know, I talked about depth as a potential question mark. I'm talking about the too deep. Right?
[00:17:29] Well, if you can get a sophomore or a redshirt freshman who didn't do a whole lot of playing last year or who transferred into you to buy into your system and develop, well, now that guy can contribute for you. Or you can at least have confidence knowing that, hey, the depth maybe isn't as bad.
[00:17:49] In actuality, maybe when you talk about snaps in 2025, yeah, okay, but the production could be there.
[00:17:59] And then lastly here, rounding up this list, freshman defensive lineman Noah Clark. I've talked about him in the past.
[00:18:06] Massive human being.
[00:18:08] Someone that has sneakily been brought up a little bit in the spring and summer in these press conferences and in these articles about a guy that's impressing early in these camps.
[00:18:19] The defensive line as a unit is very veteran led, which is fantastic, but you sprinkle in a little bit of youth in there. A guy that can be in the rotation and if you are up late in a game can take on the lion's share of those snaps and save, you know, a Gabe Brownlow Dinley from playing some unnecessary minutes.
[00:18:44] It could be huge. But I see Noah Clark maybe not playing a ton this year, but as someone who develops into a strong defensive tackle for South Carolina in years future. So, yeah, there's a lot, though. I mean, it's, it's, there's plenty of veteran leadership on this team this upcoming season, but there are some young players that are really exciting. It was hard to limit this to 5, but I felt this was a good combination of guys who I think can produce this upcoming season, but also names to remember for years moving forward.
[00:19:20] But with that, y', all, that wraps up this episode, please follow me on social media Twitter or X is Cox Gamecocks. Instagram is just the name of the show. Cox Talking Gamecocks. And please like subscribe and review the podcast. I appreciate all y'. All Go Cox.
