Familiar face ready to lead this year’s Gamecocks defensive linemen
Travian Robertson admits he will probably have goosebumps coming out of the tunnel at Williams-Brice Stadium for the first time as a coach.
Robertson, who played at South Carolina from 2007-10, was hired in March by Shane Beamer to coach the defensive line. He replaces Jimmy Lindsay, who left to take a job at LSU.
“Coming out of the tunnel and hearing Sandstorm and 2001 being played, that is really going to hit me because I haven’t experienced it in a long time,” Robertson said at the Birdies with Beamer event on July 26. “I’m excited to be here. My family is excited to be here. All I am doing is praying I could be here for a long time.”
Robertson spent last season at Tulane and was at Georgia State three years before that. Getting back to Columbia always was something that was in the back of his mind.
“The timing of it, I didn’t know when it would happen,” Robertson said. “It is just amazing to be trusted by coach Beamer and coach Clayton White to coach one of the most important parts of the defense and that is the defensive line. It is an amazing feeling.”
Tonka and Boogie time
The Gamecocks lost a big part of their defense with the graduation of Zacch Pickens, who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the third round of the NFL Draft.
But USC returns several key players including in-state guys Tonka Hemingway, Alex “Boogie” Huntley and T.J. Sanders as well as Nick Barrett and redshirt freshman Jamaal Whyce.
Hemingway didn’t play in the spring after off-season surgery. The former Conway High standout was one of the USC players picked to attend Southeastern Conference media days last month.
Hemingway had 33 tackles and was second with eight tackles for loss.
“I heard of him before I got here. He has spent so much time in the facility I got to know a lot more,” Robertson said of Hemingway. “He is the one guy I am looking forward to getting to know.”
Huntley is one of the most liked players on the team and battled some injuries last season. He missed just one game and finished with 21 tackles.
“Once he steps in the room, he has a leadership vibe to him,” Robertson said of Huntley. “He is a hometown guy and well-respected in the building, not just in the defensive line room. He is respected in Columbia.”
Mr. Football’s impact
Some of the new faces on the defensive line include JUCO transfer Elijah Davis and South Carolina’s Mr. Football Xzavier McLeod, who played nearby at Camden High School.
Davis, who also played in state at Wagener-Salley High School, is a highly-rated prospect coming out of East Mississippi Community College. He was the top-rated junior college defensive lineman in the country and had 35 tackles and three sacks last year at EMCC.
McLeod is the only true freshman on the defensive line and was one of the Gamecocks’ top-ranked recruits. He enrolled at USC in January and will be a work in progress.
But Robertson is confident McLeod can have an impact in Year One.
“Xzavier is a big smart kid,” Robertson said. “Expectations are high of him. My job is to slow things down. I want to see him on the field a lot. And it is my job to get him prepared and his job to soak it in like a sponge and be ready to play this year.”
Scholarship players at defensive line
- Nick Barrett, Jr.
- Elijah Davis, Jr.
- Tonka Hemingway, Sr.
- Felix Hixon, R-Fr.
- Alex Huntley, R-Jr.
- D’Andre Martin, R-Fr.
- Xzavier McLeod, Fr.
- T.J. Sanders, R-So.
- Jamaal Whyce, R-Fr.
This story was originally published August 1, 2023 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Familiar face ready to lead this year’s Gamecocks defensive linemen."
