RJ Roderick prepared to lead Gamecock secondary in final year
Change in most cases can be for the best. For Gamecock safety RJ Roderick, the change he will be making comes in the uniform number he will be donning this season.
Instead of the No. 10 that Roderick has been wearing for the last four years, he’ll be rocking No. 1 in his final year at South Carolina.
There’s pressure that comes with having a number like that, and it’s pressure Roderick embraces.
“It’s a lot of pressure that comes with one,” he said, “so just bringing about leadership and having that in my head all day, like ‘I gotta be that guy.’ So, just a little bit extra motivation.”
While Roderick’s number will be changing, his play on the field won’t be. The fifth-year safety racked up a career-high 64 tackles in 2021, the third most on the team.
Roderick credited his improvements to defensive backs coach Torrian Gray, mentioning South Carolina’s defensive backs coach has helped him elevate his game in ways he couldn’t have imagined.
“To be able to see things conceptually based on alignments, a lot of stuff was just pre-play,” Roderick said. “The things that he’s taught us to look at pre-play, you know, maybe reading keys, things like that. It allows us to play way faster.”
However, Roderick knows the defense as a whole still has work to do. The Gamecocks led the SEC in pass defense with 180 yards per game allowed. In addition, they recorded 15 interceptions, tied for second in the conference. However, against the run was where the struggles came. They allowed 175 rushing yards per game, which was third-worst in the SEC.
Going into defensive coordinator Clayton White’s second year, consistency will be the group’s next step.
“We just gotta be consistent. We gotta lead the younger guys, just continue to bring them along and continue to improve in the areas that we need to improve on as older guys as well,” Roderick said. “And so, I just feel like when that takes effect you’ll be able to see it.”
Outside of Roderick, the Gamecocks will be returning multiple veterans, including seven defensive starters. Roderick said he believes having established leaders will make a difference.
“We have older guys that understand the expectations that we have for each other on the defense, on the back end, as a team,” he said. “So, when you have older guys that can just grab the reigns, lead the younger guys and just show, ‘Hey, this is our expectation,’ I just feel like that’ll be a great benefit.”
With the season opener a few weeks away, Roderick is excited for one last ride with longtime teammates Cam Smith and Darius Rush.
“Those are great guys on and off the field,” Roderick said. “Those guys are gonna bring it every day, they’re going hard. And so it gives you more motivation to go hard as well cause we all gonna make plays. And we all eat together, we all shine together.”
