Senior to start after move from spur to Will linebacker
When Damario Jeffery was being recruited by South Carolina out of Columbia High School, he was told he was going to be the spur linebacker and the position was made for him.
Though Jeffery was brought in to be “the guy” at spur, he said he couldn’t adjust to the scheme quickly, which made room for Antonio Allen at that position, where he blossomed. Now, as a senior, Jeffery couldn’t have predicted he’d still be at USC and he’d be playing Will linebacker, but both were by his own choosing.
“I don’t think it’s been what I expected,” Jeffery said. “I don’t think it’s been what anybody expected, especially being a four-star recruit. I couldn’t stay healthy. This year, I’ve got to focus on being healthy and have a better season here.”
With DeVonte Holloman moving to spur to replace Allen, who graduated, Jeffery requested to be moved to Will linebacker because he had gotten too big for spur; he said he weighs 240, and a spur should be around 225. He said the biggest difference has been just being more physical and learning hand placement on blocks because if you place your hands too wide, “you’re going to get dumped.”
As the Will linebacker, Jeffery is penciled in to be the starter for the 2012 season, which he’s looking forward to after having played behind someone at spur for his entire career. Jeffery said if you had asked him where he’d be now as a freshman, he would have said he would have declared for the NFL after his third year.
But injuries and the depth chart kept Jeffery from a consistent starting role. Though he said it’s been frustrating, he said he had plenty of opportunities to play, but didn’t live up to his or his coaches’ expectations. Though he may not have expected to see his senior year, he’s taken on the senior leadership role.
“Once upon a time, I was a guy just sitting out there and taking commands, letting someone else line up the defense,” Jeffery said. “Now, I’m looking forward to lining up the whole defense with everybody set. I’m more vocal now.”
Part of being more vocal is trash talking in scrimmage, which led USC coach Steve Spurrier to make a big deal out of his first interception in scrimmage, telling local media that everyone thought they’d never see the day.
“I always want to get an interception,” Jeffery said. “I just drop so many of them. That’s the biggest thing around here — I’ve probably dropped at least six in my career, three that could’ve gone to the house, so that’s a big thing when you look back at the film and you see (number) 33 dropping picks. It’s like he’ll never catch one. I finally got one.”
This season, Jeffery, who played safety in high school, won’t be in space as much. He plays inside more, which means he has to be more aware of his surroundings because people will be looking to block him, whereas at spur, he was a free runner.
“The spur is kind of a hybrid safety — we’re going to ask him to cover a lot more,” said Kirk Botkin, linebackers coach. “[The spur] is going to be the guy we put into the field a lot more and cover more grass. The Will linebacker is going to be in the boundary a lot more and have more help around him. He’s not going to have to do as much man-to-man.”
Will linebacker was one of the positions Jeffery never played, even in high school, but in his last start as a spur, which was against Arkansas, he was disappointed in his performance. It was also his first loss as a starter. Going into the season opener at Vanderbilt, Jeffery wants to erase the stain of his last outing for more reasons than one.
“It’s a big sense of urgency, especially if you want to fulfill that dream of going to the NFL,” Jeffery said. “You want to make as many plays as you can in your senior year. This year has to be my year as far as helping my team win more than 11 and take it to the next level.”