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South Carolina’s defense took a hit before spring practice gets underway.
Gamecocks starting defensive tackle Dante Sawyer had surgery on his left shoulder on Wednesday morning, and the school confirmed the news early this afternoon.
That news isn’t good for South Carolina, which is already thin at the position.
Though listed as a defensive end, Sawyer made four starts at defensive tackle. The Gamecocks only had five defensive tackles on scholarship for the spring with Sawyer alongside Abu Lamin, Kelsey Griffin, Taylor Stallworth and Dexter Wideman.
Sawyer finished the season with just 17 tackles but was tied for third on the team with 2.5 quarterback sacks to go with a fumble recovery. The Gamecocks only had 20 sacks this season, 11th in the SEC.
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
