South Carolina Gamecocks: Linebacker Breakdown

Article Courtesy of SEC Sports Hub.

South Carolina should rival Georgia for the top linebacking corps in the SEC. The Gamecocks return the soul of their defense, hard hitting senior Jasper Brinkley, from an injury that sidelined him throughout the 2007 season. Brinkley will team up with junior play-maker Eric Norwood to form possibly the best linebacker duo in the SEC, if not the country. 

Brinkley will anchor the South Carolina defense. He has a tremendous impact on the play of the entire Gamecock defense. They simply were not the same unit after Brinkley went down with a season-ending injury in the LSU game last year. 

He will return this year and bring with him a head-hunting attitude that will undoubtedly leave a few offensive play-makers writhing in pain on the turf next season. He will be counted on as the leader of the South Carolina defense and he will not disappoint. Starring alongside Brinkley will be junior Eric Norwood. 

Norwood was a phenomenal defensive end for the Gamecocks in 2007, but the coaches decided to move him to linebacker this season, where they think he can have a bigger impact. 

Norwood is an athletic phenom, with great size and speed. He should have some huge hits and force quite a few turnovers throughout the 2008 campaign. If his transition to linebacker goes smoothly, the Gamecocks could have two of the biggest defensive play-makers in the SEC starting at linebacker. 

Finally, junior Gerrod Sinclair will occupy the final linebacker position. Sinclair is often overlooked due to playing next to Brinkley and Norwood, but he should also be a very solid contributor for the Gamecock defense. 

Sinclair isn’t as big as Norwood or Brinkley, but he still does very well against the run. He needs to improve his pass coverage skills to become a better linebacker, but as long as he doesn’t make any huge mistakes, this Gamecock linebacking corps should be one of the best in 2008. 

Junior Rodney Paulk and senior Marvin Sapp should play key backup roles at linebacker, along with senior Dustin Lindsey and freshman Antonio Allen.

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