make Kinlaw first-rounder

Javon Kinlaw will likely feel right at home in San Francisco.

Not only will he have a familiar face on the sidelines in former Gamecock teammate Deebo Samuel, he also will have a position coach who reminds him a bit of Will Muschamp.

Shortly after being selected 14th overall in the NFL Draft, Kinlaw was asked about 49ers defensive line coach Kris Kocurek, a former NFL player known for being loud and vociferous and even yelling at his players in practice. Such prospects didn’t faze the 6-5, 324-pound Kinlaw.

“You all must not know who Will Muschamp is,” Kinlaw joked.

“Muschamp will put his foot up your behind if he could,” he said. “I’m used to that type of coaching. That’s what I respond to the best anyway.”

Kinlaw was South Carolina’s second first-round pick in three years under Muschamp and the highest-drafted Gamecock since Jadeveon Clowney went first overall in 2014.

In all, South Carolina had four players drafted (Bryan Edwards, D.J. Wonnum and T.J. Brunson), while five others signed free agent contracts or were invited to NFL training camps. Though the Gamecocks are coming off two straight disappointing seasons (7-6, 4-8), the draft success is a testament to Muschamp’s ability to recruit talented prospects and develop them into NFL-caliber players. Brunson, Edwards and Wonnum were among the first players Muschamp recruited when he arrived at South Carolina. Four years later, they are in the NFL, along with six others who fought and worked their way to the next level.

There is no better example than Kinlaw, who might be Muschamp’s greatest coaching achievement.

Kinlaw’s rags-to-riches story has been well-documented. He grew up on the streets of Washington, D.C., bouncing around from home to home until his mother sent him to Charleston to live with his father. It was there that he was first introduced to football at Goose Creek High School.

A giant of a player in high school, the 300-plus-pound Kinlaw was a raw athlete who needed nurturing on and off the field. Though he was initially signed by Steve Spurrier, Muschamp sent Kinlaw to Jones County College in Mississippi, where he worked on his academics, maturity and conditioning.

When Kinlaw arrived in Columbia in 2017, he was an overweight, out-of-shape lineman with tremendous upside. In less than a year, he dropped nearly 50 pounds and by season’s end was a force on the defensive line. He emerged as an impact player the following season and finished his career as a first-team All-American that had NFL scouts drooling.

Kinlaw credits Muschamp for taking a chance on him and helping mold him into a dominant player and NFL prospect. He could have jumped to the next level after his junior season, but chose to play one more year out of loyalty to his head coach.

“I was loyal to him because he didn’t really have to send me to a JUCO. He didn’t have to do that for me,” he said.

But he did, and the result was the development of one of the best defensive players in school history, one who could have a long career in the NFL.

Though Muschamp’s program has suffered a setback in wins and losses the last two years, his ability to recruit and develop players has paid off for several Gamecock athletes. If that trend continues, more wins should follow.

RIVALS A STORE DIVIDED GARGANTUAN!! GAMECOCKSUPERCENTER ALLTHINGSGAMECOCK! 18,000 SQUAREFEET

2320 Trade Ct., | Florence, SC 29501

(843) 667-1779 | Florence, S.C.

Next to Lowes FT8-1865406-1