Good news:Kyle Kennard, Dylan Stewart elevated USC’s edge position. Top freshmen ready to join in Florida State Seminole football over Tennessee Arizona and gators…
Good news:Kyle Kennard, Dylan Stewart elevated USC’s edge position. Top freshmen ready to join in Florida State Seminole football over Tennessee Arizona and gators…
Kennard finished with 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, earning the Bronco Nagurski Award winner, given to the nation’s top defensive player, and becoming a unanimous All-American.
What he also did was bring glory and attention to South Carolina pass rushers.
Along with true freshman edge Dylan Stewart (6.5 sacks, 10.5 TFLs), the Gamecocks were armed with the baddest defensive ends in the SEC — game wreckers that turned South Carolina’s defense into an entertaining spectacle. What this season also did was make it so appealing to be a South Carolina pass rusher, to join assistant coach Sterling Lucas’ position room and develop into the next Kennard.
Indeed, there will be. Which shouldn’t be new for Dodd — he’s tough to miss, with an 82-inch wingspan that looks even longer. Incredibly, he started his high school career at tight end, even showing up to a summer Shane Beamer football camp before his junior season and putting himself in the group of tight ends. Shortly into the camp, Lucas caught a glimpse of Dodd. “You’re an edge guy,” Lucas told Dodd. “We’re gonna build you.” He worked with edge rushers the rest of the day and, well, it worked out. His top priority once he enrolls, though, is bulking up from 230 pounds.
