The South Carolina football player is considered one of the SEC’s rising stars.
The spring season of 2021 is about to enter into full force, which means that the South Carolina football team will soon begin its first spring training session under new coach Shane Beamer. With the hiring period finally over and a technical commission ready, Gamecocks can focus on the next season.
This focus will be on key players, position battles and the implementation of a new offensive and defensive scheme. Spring training will be the first time that coaches will be able to see their players perform live in person, while trying to decipher which members of the squad will have the greatest impact.
One of those members of the list was recently named a rising star among the SEC’s top performers.
Brad Crawford of 247 Sports released a list of players looking to climb the ladder and make a big impact in the 2021 season. He named second year cornerback Cam Smith as a player on the Gamecocks list who will jump to a starting position and make significant contributions.
The former four-star recruit has long been considered a talented player, as 247 Sports has ranked him as the 150th candidate in the national ranking in the class of 2019. But in the past two seasons, he has been positioned behind the selection projected for the first round Jaycee Horn.
Smith got off to a rough start in the 2020 season, having a punt rolling his leg while blocking, resulting in a game changer during the season’s 31-27 opening loss to Tennessee.
He recovered, however, and came back hard in the second half of the year, replacing Horn and Israel Mukuamu, who chose not to participate in the NFL, in the defensive field. During the season, Smith broke two passes and recorded a pair of interceptions (tied for 1st in the team).
Here’s what Crawford had to say about Smith’s future in high school in South Carolina.
The choice: Cam Smith, DB; This versatile player on the secondary for Gamecocks is a third year student and obtained the necessary experience last season in coverage. With Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu going to the NFL along with the transfer of Jammie Robinson to the state of Florida, the depth at the rear of South Carolina is fragile and leaders are needed. Insert Smith in that role, a player that the coaches are extremely high on.
Smith is likely set for a starting position outside for the 2021 opening, and he is widely regarded as the best prospect in a South Carolina defensive backfield that lost four starters a season ago. Expect him to make a big leap next year as the Gamecocks try to strengthen a pass defense that came in eighth at the conference last season.