Five former South Carolina Gamecocks were announced as participants in the 2021 NFL Combine on Wednesday.
Defensive back Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu, Defender Ernest Jones, offensive striker Sadarius Hutcherson and wide receiver Shi Smith are among the more than 300 players who have been invited to participate in this year’s event. The complete list of combine participants can be found here.
According to the NFL, the combine will look very different from previous years.
Horn and Mukuamu chose to leave the 2020 season after Will Muschamp lost his job as head coach. Over seven games, Horn had 16 tackles and two interceptions. Mukuamu had 10 tackles and two interceptions in six games. Jones led the team with 86 tackles. He missed the final against Kentucky due to an injury.
Hutcherson started all games on guard. Smith finished first among all South Carolina pass pickers in receptions (57), yards (633) and touchdowns (four).
Below are excerpts from each player’s biography on GamecocksOnline …
Horn: The junior defender is a candidate for post-season honors … named All-SEC from pre-season by Athlon magazine … has 85 tackles in the last two seasons with 6.0 tackles for defeat, including 3.0 sacks … has 17 career pass separations and two forced fumbles in 23 games, including 22 games … according to Pro Football Focus, he played 1,426 snaps with opponents aiming his receiver just 100 times for 57 submissions and two touchdowns.
Mukuamu: talented and slender defensive junior who won the All-SEC honors of the second team of the Associated Press in 2019 … he is a return holder in the cornerback, but he can also have time safely … he has a rare height and wingspan corner … made 14 consecutive starts … has five career interceptions … nominated by various media as a possible first round selection in the NFL Draft 2021 … nominated for the Lott preseason list IMPACT Trophy.
Jones: junior linebacker who is the vocal leader of the defense … expected to anchor the defense of MIKE’s position … an All-SEC selection from the third team of the preseason according to Athlon magazine … led the team in tackles Second year … coaches like their physical nature and intelligence … excellent communicator … appeared in 17 games in the past two seasons, making a dozen games, with 113 tackles in his career.
Hutcherson: fifth year senior who is the most experienced player on the team with 29 starts (12 on the right guard, 11 on the left and six on the left), including the last 26 consecutive … titular holder on the left, but mainly worked on the left guard , his most natural position, in the spring … he played 35 games in total … nominated for Athlon’s pre-season All-SEC unit.
Smith: The best receiver on the team … moves to position number 1 after being a secondary option behind Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards … has 117 career receptions for 1,571 yards … enters his last season ranked in a tie in 12th place on the all-time school reception list with Cory Boyd … also returned 18 kickoffs for 401 yards, an average of 22.3 yards … played 34 games in the last three seasons, with 26 matches , second among the players who returned … best known for his hands and his ability to catch the ball.