Gamecocks have no players at one position on its spring roster. Here are its options now
February 26, 2019
When it comes to specialists for South Carolina football in 2019, Gamecock fans know the main returning faces — junior kicker Parker White is back after a bounceback sophomore campaign in which he made 13 of 16 field goal attempts, as is senior punter Joseph Charlton, who averaged nearly 45 yards per boot last year, tied for sixth in the SEC.
But the person who snapped the ball to White and Charlton over the past two seasons, long snapper Ben Asbury, is gone. So is holder and backup QB Danny Gordon.
As spring practices begin for the Gamecocks, coach Will Muschamp has two names he’s considering to take Asbury’s place.
“Collin Bunch, whose father played here, from Pendleton High School, we’ve added to our roster, and Jackson Locklier, who played at River Bluff and Charleston Southern, we’ve added to our roster as well,” Muschamp said at his opening press conference Tuesday.
Bunch’s father, Randy Bunch, was himself a long snapper for South Carolina in 1990 and 1991. In high school, Bunch played quarterback and free safety for Pendleton, graduating in 2017.
Locklier was rated a four-star long snapping prospect by Kohl’s Kicking and played tight end and defensive end for River Bluff, graduating in 2018.
The Gamecocks held a tryout for long snappers last fall when Asbury was recovering from an ACL tear, but Muschamp said his staff didn’t find Bunch and Locklier until another tryout this offseason.
“We did one going into spring, knowing our situation, and both of those guys were guys we wanted to take a look at,” Muschamp said.
Walk-on Matthew Smith, who backed up Asbury last season, is no longer listed on the team’s roster.
February 26, 2019
When it comes to specialists for South Carolina football in 2019, Gamecock fans know the main returning faces — junior kicker Parker White is back after a bounceback sophomore campaign in which he made 13 of 16 field goal attempts, as is senior punter Joseph Charlton, who averaged nearly 45 yards per boot last year, tied for sixth in the SEC.
But the person who snapped the ball to White and Charlton over the past two seasons, long snapper Ben Asbury, is gone. So is holder and backup QB Danny Gordon.
As spring practices begin for the Gamecocks, coach Will Muschamp has two names he’s considering to take Asbury’s place.
“Collin Bunch, whose father played here, from Pendleton High School, we’ve added to our roster, and Jackson Locklier, who played at River Bluff and Charleston Southern, we’ve added to our roster as well,” Muschamp said at his opening press conference Tuesday.
Bunch’s father, Randy Bunch, was himself a long snapper for South Carolina in 1990 and 1991. In high school, Bunch played quarterback and free safety for Pendleton, graduating in 2017.
Locklier was rated a four-star long snapping prospect by Kohl’s Kicking and played tight end and defensive end for River Bluff, graduating in 2018.
The Gamecocks held a tryout for long snappers last fall when Asbury was recovering from an ACL tear, but Muschamp said his staff didn’t find Bunch and Locklier until another tryout this offseason.
“We did one going into spring, knowing our situation, and both of those guys were guys we wanted to take a look at,” Muschamp said.
Walk-on Matthew Smith, who backed up Asbury last season, is no longer listed on the team’s roster.