Tennessee football vs. South Carolina: Five key Gamecocks to watch for against Vols
Pick Analysis. David Spaulding. 4. player. Scouting Report. Defensive back. Redshirt sophomore. 850
6’1″ 195 pounds; Hometown: Riceboro, Ga.
Darius Rush and Cam Smith have been elite cornerbacks for South Carolina this year. Rush has an interception, a pass deflection and a tackle for a loss. Smith leads the team with five pass deflections, also has a tackle for a loss and is probably the best true defender in the secondary. However, the nickelbacks have been the playmakers.
Both David Spaulding and Carlins Platel have made huge plays at nickel. Platel has probably been more of a playmaker and is the more physical one with two forced fumbles and one and a half tackles for a loss. However, Spaulding is the starter and sees more overall action, so he’s the guy among all these players Tennessee football will have to deal with.
For the year, Spaulding has an interception and a forced fumble. He ran his interception back for a touchdown, and he also has two pass deflections. Add in his tackle for a loss, and he’s pretty mich done everything a nickel can do.
Honestly, Spaulding is representative of how the Vols will have to deal with all the cornerbacks and nickels on here, but he’s probably the most important among him given how Josh Heupel likes to spread the field. Velus Jones Jr. will likely face him a lot in the slot, and what he does will be key.