'It's our time': South Carolina edge rushers ready to fill big shoes left behind by NFL talent

In recent years the edge position at South Carolina has been highlighted by the likes of NFL talent like JJ Enagbare and Aaron Sterling. 

With both out of eligibility, the Gamecocks will turn to talent at the position that’s only partially proven at the SEC level. 

Despite the daunting task, Jordan Strachan is more than confident that the players in the room are ready for the challenge. 

“We’re ahead of where we were last year, put it like that,” Strachan said. “We gonna be producing way more in that position than there was last year.”

Both Strachan and Burch will be leading the pack of edge rushers this year. Last season the duo saw decent playing time, but not to the extent of Enagbare and Sterling. 

Although only Burch registered a start last year, both players rounded out the top three in PFF defensive grades for South Carolina edge rushers. Strachan finished the season with a 74.7 and Burch finished with a 68.2, both higher than Sterling’s grade of 65.1. 

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Burch said the “beneficial” work that the edge rushers have put in with first-year coach Sterling Lucas has helped the position group not skip a beat. 

“I think we picked up where they left off,” Burch said. “We’ve learned a lot from coach (Lucas), a lot of stuff we didn’t know last year. So I think we’ll be pretty good.”

Redshirt sophomore Gilber Edmond spoke highly of both Burch and Strachan this offseason, essentially saying they’ve helped mold the position room. 

“Those two guys, they’re like the standard, they set really good examples,” Edmond said. “Being behind them, like I said before, you tend to pick up on things. So just the way they go about practice, they practice hard, they approach the game like they love the game.”

Edmond has been highly praised in his own right this offseason. Lucas and teammates like Strachan have complimented him on his work ethic and the strides he’s made this offseason. 

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During fall camp Edmond said he focused the most on improving his pass rush moves and stopping the rush, adding that he picked up a few things from the guys ahead of him on the depth chart. 

“When you’re playing behind good players like that, you tend to pick up on some things that they do well,” Edmond said. “So like, what I was doing was just picking up on the things that I could see myself doing, and what was helping their game so I just kind of added it to mine and I’m praying that it works out.”

Odds are that Edmond gets to show off those new skills against Georgia State in the season opener on Saturday. The first two-deep depth chart of the year was released on Monday and Edmond slid in right behind Strachan at the outside linebacker position. 

“It’s a blessing,” Edmond said. “I came here to play in big games. So getting the opportunity is like a blessing for me.”

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Behind Edmond on the depth chart is NC State transfer Terrell Dawkins. The redshirt junior adds more experience to the position group, something younger players have already taken advantage of. 

“Back in the spring, I used to ask him questions because I can always learn something from different people. He would teach me a lot of stuff,” Burch said. “He plays hard and he’s good at stopping the run.”

Dawkins’ run-stopping ability will be perfect against the Panthers. Georgia State returns two running backs in Tucker Gregg and former Gamecock Jamyest Williams who both ran for just under 1,000 yards last season.

With the season opener getting closer, Strachan said that the current slate of edge rushers on the roster are ready for their time to shine. 

“I think we’re gonna bring that edge to the fans and to the game,” Strachan said. “We hear a lot about JJ and Aaron, they were great players, but it’s our time.”

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