South Carolina football's top 10 all-time linebackers

With spring practice over for South Carolina, Gamecock fans have less than three months before their favorite team takes the field again for a game. To help bridge the gap (along with all of the recruiting coverage and summer updates you can read on GamecockCentral.com), GamecockCentral will be running a top-10 players by position series.

First, we took a look at the all-time great USC running backs.

Then, we voted on the best Carolina wide receivers in program history.

Following that up, we examined the top Gamecock tight ends.

Then, it was all about determining the top offensive linemen ever to block in Columbia.

Two weeks ago, quarterbacks were the focus.

Then, we moved on to the defensive side of the ball, specifically the best defensive tackles in team history.

Last week, defensive ends/EDGEs were the topic of discussion.

Now, this week, our attention shifts to the linebacker position. For the purpose of this exercise, pass-rushing outside linebackers were excluded. Some hybrid players who played the “spur” position were considered.

Chris Clark, Wes Mitchell, and I have put together our own top 10 lists. Many of the Gamecock Faithful on The Insiders Forum also have taken part in a two-part voting run this week.

Not every good linebacker could make these lists. Players like Rod Wilson, Tim Bice, Bob Cole, Dana Carpenter, Shannon Wadley, Kenneth “Gussie” Robinson, and Paul Vogel were part of the conversations, despite not making the top 10s.

The results of all the voting are below, including a note on each player mentioned:

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Chris Clark

1. Skai Moore
2. JD Fuller
3. James Seawright
4. Jasper Brinkley
5. Ernest Jones
6. Demetrius Knight
7. Tom Addison
8. Patrick Hinton
9. Garry Mott
10. Mike Durrah

Why Skai Moore is No. 1: “One could certainly make a case for J.D. Fuller, who has the career record for tackles with over 400, but Skai Moore not only led the team in tackles for an insane four seasons but also is tied for the school career record for interceptions with 14.”

Wes Mitchell

1. JD Fuller
2. Skai Moore
3. James Seawright
4. Jasper Brinkley
5. Tom Addison
6. Ernest Jones
7. Eric Brown
8. Patrick Hinton
9. Mike Durrah
10. TJ Brunson

Why JD Fuller is No. 1: “Fuller is the school’s all-time leading tackler and a member of the program’s Hall of Fame (2011 class). He’s just one of two players in Gamecock history to tally over 400 career tackles and had over 100 in three straight seasons.”

Kevin Miller

1. Skai Moore
2. James Seawright
3. JD Fuller
4. Tom Addison
5. Jasper Brinkley
6. Ernest Jones
7. Mike Durrah
8. Garry Mott
9. Patrick Hinton
10. Ed Baxley

Why Skai Moore is No. 1: “Determining the top player is really tough as the conversation involves multiple eras and different styles of play. However, Skai Moore is the pick for me because he is the only one of the top guys who was an elite performer in all facets of linebacker play. He is the best cover ‘backer in team history, a top five tackler, and he could go sideline-to-sideline with the best of them. Moore also had a knack for big plays in big moments, often saving games with 4th-quarter interceptions or late-down tackles.”

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Votes in parentheses

1. Jasper Brinkley (48)
T-2. Skai Moore (47)
T-2. Ernest Jones (47)
4. James Seawright (42)
5. Demetrius Knight (35)
6. Shaq Wilson (24)
7. JD Fuller (19)
8. Debo Williams (14)
9. TJ Brunson (12)
10. Patrick Hinton (10)

Notes on the Gamecock Greats

James Seawright: James Seawright is the last Gamecock to earn AP All-American as an off-ball linebacker. He was the leader of the best linebacker unit in school history, playing multiple seasons alongside JD Fuller, Mike Durrah, Kenneth “Gussie” Robinson, and Paul Vogel and was the first of the unit’s three Hall of Famers. Seawright lived up to his name, playing like a Naval submarine’s targeted missile, flying through holes in the A-gap for tackles for loss or blowing up lead blockers so that his teammates could make a play.

Skai Moore: Without a doubt, Skai Moore was the best coverage linebacker in program history. He owns a share of the career interceptions record (regardless of position), having picked off 14 passes. However, he’s also one of the best tacklers to come through Columbia, as he is the only player who has led the Gamecocks in tackles for four seasons. For three of his years at South Carolina, Moore led the team in tackles and interceptions, something that no other player has done. He made three All-SEC teams at USC and earned All-America honors from at least one publication.

Ernest Jones: Ernest Jones might be the most talented sideline-to-sideline linebacker ever to wear garnet and black. He was also a special competitor. Despite being on track for a redshirt as a true freshman, Jones elected to burn an extra year of eligibility to compete in South Carolina’s bowl game. As it turned out, he wouldn’t need that year. Jones’ All-SEC career at USC saw him leave early for the NFL. Following a third-round selection in 2021, Jones has become one of the league’s top linebackers. He set the Rams’ all-time franchise record for tackles in 2023.

Jasper Brinkley: Known as “Hit Man” for good reason, Jasper Brinkley was a force in the middle of the South Carolina defense. Transferring in from Georgia Military Academy alongside his twin, Casper (who played both defensive end and stand-up outside linebacker), No. 52 burst onto the scene his first year with the program by leading the team with 107 tackles and earning first-team All-SEC honors. He missed most of 2007 with a torn ACL, but before his injury, he helped seal a win over Georgia with an interception. He bounced back in 2008 with another All-SEC selection.

Demetrius Knight: A one-year Gamecock after transferring in from Charlotte, Demetrius Knight left his mark on the South Carolina football program. He was an All-SEC player in 2024 as part of a loaded defense that quietly was one of the best in the country. In addition to being a great player, Knight is one of the people ever to don the Block C on his helmet. A great combination of size, speed, and intangibles, he is entering his rookie season in the NFL after being selected in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.

JD Fuller: JD Fuller is the all-time leading tackler in Carolina history. Considering some of the other men on this list, that is saying something. The early-80s ‘backer was a smart football player who always knew where to be. He played alongside fellow tackling machines James Seawright, Mike Durrah, Kenneth “Gussie” Robinson, and Paul Vogel. In a bit of statistical oddity, Fuller never led the team in tackles but logged three years with 100 stops.

TJ Brunson: The first recruiting stop of the Will Muschamp era at South Carolina was to check in with TJ Brunson. That turned out to be a good move as Brunson became a great Gamecock. A thumper in an era when passing games started to dominate, the Columbia native was a run-stopping stud who complimented the rangier Skai Moore very well. Brunson eclipsed the 100-tackle mark and made the All-SEC team as a senior in 2018.

Patrick Hinton: The original “Hit Man” at the linebacker position (with all due respect to Jasper Brinkley, who came along later) was Patrick Hinton. A bad man who started as a freshman hybrid defensive end/linebacker on the 1987 Black Death Defense, Hinton became an impact player both against the pass and against the run following his move to linebacker on a full-time basis. He finished his career in the top 10 among Gamecock tacklers and tallied 10 interceptions.

Tom Addison: Tom Addison is the most underrated linebacker ever to play at the University of South Carolina. Because he played so long ago, many don’t even know his name. However, he was a stud at USC and was one of the best defenders in the ACC in the mid-1950s. Addison earned NFL Draft selection in 1958 but didn’t play until signing with the Boston Patriots of the AFL in 1960. He was the best linebacker in the AFL for several years until two knee ailments chased him from the sport. Addison made four All-Pro teams and was a sure-fire Hall of Famer before his injuries.

Shaq Wilson: Never the biggest and never the fastest, Shaq Wilson was just a football player. He arrived in Columbia as an undersized linebacker who played with heart and hustle while wearing No. 16. After a tough knee injury in the middle of his career, Wilson worked hard to add more muscle, returning stronger and wearing No. 54. A testament to his work ethic, Wilson led the Gamecocks in tackles twice, once before the injury and once after. After his playing career, Wilson worked for a time on USC’s coaching staff before getting his coaching start in the NFL.

Debo Williams: Debo Williams was the heart and soul of Shane Beamer’s top two defenses in Columbia. A team captain in both 2023 and 2024, he earned All-SEC honors as a junior and registered over 100 tackles. Williams wasn’t the biggest or fastest player on the field, but he played harder than anyone and threw his body around with reckless abandon for the sake of the team.

Mike Durrah: Another member of the best linebacker group in team history (along with James Seawright, JD Fuller, Kenneth Robinson, and Paul Vogel), Mike Durrah might have been the player on the South Carolina defense who most lived up to the moniker of “Fire Ant.” Though a little undersized during his playing days, no one made more tackles in a single season than Durrah’s 179 in 1983. He also is third on the program’s all-time tackles list behind teammates Fuller and Andrew Provence.

Garry Mott: Garry Mott was a two-time All-ACC linebacker and team captain in an era when freshmen weren’t allowed to play. He held the record for single-season tackles until Mike Durrah broke it a decade later. That mark is still No. 2 on the list. Mott was part of a strong one-two linebacker punch with fellow All-SEC selection Dana Carpenter.

Ed Baxley: Ed Baxley spent two years terrorizing opposing offenses inside Williams-Brice Stadium. He played at the start of a great run of Gamecock linebackers, helping set the stage for the talented defenses of the early-80s. Baxley was a battering ram with a chinstrap. He combined speed and broad shoulders to make meeting him in the hole a very unpleasant thing for opposing ballcarriers. He totaled over 100 tackles both years in garne and black.

Eric Brown: A starter for most of his four years in garnet and black, Eric Brown led the Gamecocks in tackles and interceptions in 1991 as a sophomore. He was known as an athletic defender who, early in his career, complimented “Hit Man” Patrick Hinton before becoming a team captain. Since his playing days ended, Brown has coached, including working under former South Carolina head coach Sparky Woods at VMI. He now is the head coach at St. John’s High School.

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