Former South Carolina defender reunites in NFL with Gamecock secondary mate

On Monday, former South Carolina defensive back Israel Mukuamu caught on with a new NFL team. According to a release from the team, the Carolina Panthers signed a pair of players recently cut by the Dallas Cowboys. One of them was Mukuamu.

With the local NFL franchise, Mukuamu will reunite with former Gamecock cornerback-mate Jaycee Horn. The duo started for multiple years under head coach Will Muchamp before earning selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Primarily used as a safety at the NFL level, Mukuamu could still play next to Horn if things go well for him. He currently has a place on the team’s practice squad.

Collegiate teammates Xavier Legette, Rico Dowdle, and DJ Wonnum are with the Panthers, too, and so is rookie Dalevon Campbell.

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On the Panthers’ practice squad, Mukuamu will compete with Trevian Thomas for the right to hold the “next man up” mantle at the safety position. Cornerbacks Kalen King and Michael Reid are also on the practice squad. If Carolina finds itself with a need in the secondary, it is likely that one of these players gets the call-up.

During his NFL career, the South Carolina native played in 50 games. He had three starts on defense for the Cowboys in 2022, and he has registered three interceptions as a pro. Mukuamu played a lot of special teams in Dallas and saw action as a rotational safety across four seasons.

While wearing garnet and black, Mukuamu was an All-SEC corner. His all-conference selection came in 2019 as a sophomore. Though he lined up outside most of the time, Mukuamu made a few starts at safety and rotated at the position as a junior in 2020, as well. He finished his career with seven interceptions, including three in South Carolina’s road upset of No. 3 Georgia in 2019.

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