Obviously, the South Carolina Gamecocks defense has transformed over the last few years. After leading the SEC in turnovers in 2017, South Carolina will face the challenge of replacing All-SEC linebacker Skai Moore and multiple starters in the secondary. Members of the 2018 class of early signees will have the chance to step up early and further solidify Will Muschamp’s ability to recruit, regardless of what “experts” rank his players.

Kingsley Enagbare, WDE

While watching Kingsley Enagbare’s film, the first thing that jumped out to was his ability to set the edge. Enagbare reminds of DJ Wonnum when it comes to making impact plays in the run game and earning a bunch of effort sacks. He will be a project when it comes to developing pass rushing techniques, but the sky is the limit for the Georgia native.

I do think Enagbare will be able to contribute in year one and could be a replacement for Wonnum if he explodes next year and goes to the NFL. Enagbare may have the most upside of any player in the Gamecocks’ signing class. Another diamond in the rough for Muschamp and Co.

Senior Season Stats: N/A

Rosendo Louis, LB

South Carolina hasn’t seen a true MIKE linebacker since Shaq Wilson. Some would even argue that drought extends as far back as Jasper Brinkley. While Skai Moore was one of the best linebackers to ever play for the Gamecocks, he really wasn’t a true MIKE. Rosendo Louis has the potential to be one of the better middle linebackers to don the Garnet & Black.

Louis is a hard-nosed, downhill player who will most likely be a huge special teams player in year one, which should help him improve in coverage. Louis seems to get beaten in coverage against faster running backs, but he is one of the most natural run stoppers I have ever seen.

Junior Season Stats: 116 Tackles, 8 Sacks

Israel Mukuamu, DB

Mukuamu has got to be the tallest defensive back to ever, I mean ever, play for South Carolina. At 6-5, he will most likely be playing cornerback and be expected to take a lot of snaps during his freshman campaign. With the losses of Jamarcus King, Chris Lammons, Steven Montac and DJ Smith, Mukuamu will be another turnover machine early on. He seems to have good hands, and he wins his share of 50-50 balls when the opposing quarterback is confident enough to throw it up in his direction. The first real test will come when Mukuamu goes one-on-one with Bryan Edwards or OrTre Smith in the Spring Game.

Senior Season Stats: N/A

Ernest Jones, LB

Ernest Jones is another player who could be a day-one contributor on special teams and take meaningful snaps at outside linebacker. Jones very well may be similar to Damani Staley in that he is going to be a project player, but one who could end up doing very well. TJ Brunson barely played at all during his freshman year and exploded in 2017 with the second-most tackles on the team behind Skai Moore. Jones most likely won’t get heavy snaps on defense, but he will be a grinder and could eventually become a consistent starter. Like Muschamp, fans should disregard his low 3-star rating, as he earned seven SEC offers.

Senior Season Stats: N/A

RJ Roderick, DB

RJ Roderick projects to offense just as much as he does defense, but will most likely be forced into playing defensive back because of the lack of depth on the backend. He only had one SEC offer, which was obviously from USC.

I see a lot of similarities to Steven Montac — a player who can hit hard and make plays on the ball. Not the most talented or biggest guy, but always makes plays in important situations and doesn’t get beat for big gains. Roderick will end up being a solid contributor through his years and a good player for the Gamecocks.

Senior Season Stats: N/A

Jaycee Horn, CB

Don’t be surprised when Jaycee Horn is the next big-time corner to play at the University of South Carolina. 11 out of the 14 teams in the SEC offered and Clemson extended a scholarship late. Horn is a verified playmaker who could end up being very similar to Stephon Gilmore. The son of former New Orleans Saints pro-bowl receiver Joe Horn, Jaycee has the potential to be the ball hawking, lockdown corner that defensive-minded coaches drool over. Between Horn, Jaylin Dickerson, Mukuamu and Jaymest Williams, the Gamecocks secondary could be scary for the next few years.

Senior Season Stats: 44 Tackles, 5 INTs

Jonathan Gipson, CB

Another big, athletic corner to add to the Gamecocks secondary, Jonathan Gipson is one of the huge gets for Muschamp in this cycle. He won this recruiting battle over Georgia, Auburn and a plethora of other Power 5 schools. Gipson was an ESPN300 player, and simply judging from his film and how high the coaching staff is on him, there’s little reason to believe he won’t develop into a quality starter.

Senior Season Stats: N/A

Jabari Ellis, DT

A JUCO transfer, Jabari Ellis is another prospect that seems to have been slept on by virtually every other school in the Power 5. Ellis is going to help a lot along the defensive line following the losses of Taylor Stallworth, Ulric Jones and Dante Sawyer. A strong inside presence from the Santee, S.C. native could end up being a huge boost this upcoming season.

Freshman JUCO Stats: 14 tackles, 1 Sack