On Tuesday, I presented a breakdown of South Carolina’s senior football class, the largest class in the spring 2021 squad, with 27 scholarship players. The smallest class on the list is just down the stairs. The Gamecocks roster features 13 juniors on scholarships, a group that ranges from one of the most important players on the team to notable names in the scrimmage line for beginners via the transfer portal.
RELATED: Senior Lineup Breakdown | List update: players who lost, gained weight since 2020
The group of 13 juniors is divided into eight in attack and five in defense. The seven redshirts have (R) next to their names. Its uniform number and position precedes its name.
OFFENSE (8)
No. 5, WR Dakereon Joyner (R)
No. 7, WR Ahmarean Brown
No. 17, WR Xavier Legette
No. 20, RB Kevin Harris
No. 52, OL Jaylen Nichols
No. 54, OL Jovaughn Gwyn (R)
No. 68, OL Wyatt Campbell (R)
No. 70, OL Hank Manos (R)
Harris is the most famous name in this group. Gamecocks’ initial tailback had one of the best seasons for any player in the school’s history, as he led the SEC in racing yards of the regular season (1,138) and scored 15 touchdowns in just one season of 10 games. He is Gamecock’s first ass to lead the SEC in race yards of the regular season and his 15 race touchdowns were the second most in the show’s history, behind only 17 of Marcus Lattimore in 2010.
Three receivers in Joyner, Brown and Legette will go to spring camp, all with something to prove. Brown is new, a transfer from Georgia Tech with two years of initial experience. If he settles into the main slot position, he will have big shoes to fill with the exit of Shi Smith. Joyner and Legette are young in their receiving careers and will seek to develop further with the first year receiving coach Justin Stepp.
Among the strikers listed, Gwyn is the most experienced. He started all 10 games last season in the right guard and imagines he will be there again in the fall. Nichols appeared in all 10 games as well, but as a reserve in attack. He and Manos have limited initial experience, while Campell has yet to appear in a game in his three years on campus.
DEFENSE (5)
No. 6, DL Zacch Pickens
No. 4, DB Jaylin Dickerson (R)
No. 7, EDGE Jordan Strachan (R)
No. 28, DB Darius Rush (R)
No. 42, LB Rosendo Louis (R)
Three senior defensive tackles are older than Pickens, but no one in that position has had more playing time than he has in the past two seasons. The former five-star recruit is someone he is expected to take the next step with and will be a major presence in Carolina’s defense in 2021.
Strachan, the country’s loot leader in 2020, arrives in Carolina from the state of Georgia. According to the head coach Shane Beamer, Strachan is already transforming his body for his SEC debut this fall. He’s in contention to catch the defender with the last two leaders of the team, senior Aaron Sterling (2019) and senior Kingsley Enagbare (2020).
Dickerson appeared in eight games last season and will be in the mix for security representatives for the first year coordinator Clayton White. Rush, a former wide receiver, has been a mainstay in special teams for the past two seasons and will be in the mix in the defense corner.
Louis, a former Under Armor All-American player, did not appear in a game last year and participated in 11 combined games in 2018-19. He has injuries to his shoulder and quadriceps, both of which required surgery.