South Carolina’s linebacker room enters fall camp with a clear headliner, a proven trio and one question that still needs sorting out.
The Gamecocks officially open camp Aug. 7, and while Shane Beamer has a lot of the roster mapped out already, plenty of position battles still need to play out before the Sept. 5 opener against Kent State. Linebacker, though, looks like one of the steadier spots on the team. South Carolina brings back three players who have already started games in the SEC, plus a younger group that will be pushed to prove it can handle real snaps.
“It’s kind of a big three, and then who’s the next three?” USC defensive coordinator Clayton White told The State.
At the top of that group is junior Justin Okoronkwo, who settled in quickly after arriving in Columbia following the start of his career at Alabama. The Germany native started eight of the 12 games he played in 2025 and tied DQ Smith for the team lead with 64 tackles. He also added four tackles for loss, two QB hurries and an interception.
Okoronkwo, known as “J-O” around the program, posted a 66.6 Pro Football Focus defensive grade, the best among South Carolina linebackers. His 76.2 run defense grade also led the group.
He is part of what could become a real three-man problem for opposing offenses. Fred “JayR” Johnson and Shawn Murphy are back, too.
Johnson, a junior, started all 12 games last season and finished third on the team with 61 tackles. Murphy, a redshirt senior, started four of the 12 games he played and finished sixth on the team with 49 tackles.
The two combined for seven tackles for loss.
“Obviously, any time you can return three guys that have all started games in the SEC, that gives you a lot of confidence,” USC linebackers coach Trey Money told The State. “...
Got a lot of flexibility with calls, personnel groupings and kind of the distance that you can go with those guys. We do put a lot on those guys from a game-plan standpoint.”
For all the certainty at the top, the real camp battle sits a layer below. South Carolina wants to know who can be trusted after the main three, and Money made it clear that versatility will matter most. He’s looking for linebackers who can move between Mike, Sam and Will duties and do it without the defense having to change what it wants to call.
Among the players who have caught the attention of Money and White are redshirt freshman AJ Holloway, redshirt senior Jamian Risher Jr. and sophomore Donovan Darden.
USC wants somebody “who can tie everything together and really just build consistency,” Money said. “...
When you get into the position of trying to build that depth, a guy that can bring versatility of being able to plug and play, no matter what personnel group you’re in, no matter first, second, third down, a guy that can do that. That’s probably the biggest piece that we’re kind of looking at.”
Risher’s path stands out. He earned a scholarship this spring after walking on through a tryout camp in 2023. The Varnville native has appeared in 11 games over the last three seasons and made four tackles last year.
Darden played in 10 games as a freshman, though most of that work came on special teams. Holloway arrived as a three-star recruit and redshirted last season after appearing in three games.
White’s defense usually features two linebackers on the field, which makes the rotation behind the starters especially important. In most cases, Johnson and Okoronkwo should be the first duo out there, though Murphy could be in the mix at any point. Holloway, Darden and Risher are expected to help as rotational pieces, while true freshmen Britt and Harris could also work their way into the conversation if they can earn snaps beyond special teams.
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