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'It's definitely great': Debo Williams on board with younger players getting snaps on defense

imageby: Jack Veltri10/12/23jacktveltri
Debo Williams - Furman Paladins at South Carolina Gamecocks - Sept 9 2023 - Credit Chris Gillespie
Debo Williams (Chris Gillespie/GamecockCentral)

Debo Williams knows what it’s like to be the young guy fighting for every rep. He’s been in those shoes before.

Williams didn’t start at all his freshman year and only played sparingly. He saw more action as a sophomore and made two starts. But it wasn’t until his junior year that he became a full-fledged starter.

Being a starter doesn’t happen overnight. In fact, it’s something that can happen at random. If one guy goes down, another gets their name called.

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That’s the situation South Carolina is in right now with playing a lot of younger names, even some freshmen. For Williams, it doesn’t matter what year they are, so long as they’re ready for the moment.

“We should feel comfortable with all our teammates that’s on the field. As soon as we get that feeling, the coaches will see it,” Williams said. ‘So we’re all about practice. If you can show it in practice, we’ll know you can do it in a game.”

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On South Carolina’s weekly depth chart, there are 10 underclassmen on the defense. Three of them are starters. The rest are backups that could see the field at any time.

But what has made the coaches and veteran players feel so confident in these younger guys?

“Just being fluent in practice, knowing the play call, knowing what you’re doing, being in the right alignment,” Williams said. “Not necessarily always making the play but knowing where you should be on that play and being there. But also the other players should be able to count on you.”

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One of those younger guys seeing meaningful snaps is freshman linebacker Pup Howard. He’s currently second string behind Stone Blanton.

While Blanton and Williams are getting most of the game reps, Howard has been able to nearly 17.5 snaps per game. His PFF grades have been solid with a 73.3 overall grade. But he has an 80.1 rush defense and 84.2 tackling grade.

“Somebody like a Pup Howard or a freshman that’s already here, playing and getting meaningful snaps, it definitely helps. Now, they get another week to get the playbook under their belt and gain that experience. So it’s definitely great,” Williams said.

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