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Jordan Diggs
Redshirt Senior
6'0", 211 lbs.
Fort Myers, FL
Recruitment
Luring Diggs to Columbia wasn't the hardest thing in the world to do. His dad, Shedd, was a linebacker for the Gamecocks in the 1980s and he has expressed that it was always his dream to play for the Gamecocks.
As a three-star safety, the 28th best player at his position in the Class of 2012, according to 24/7 Sports, Diggs held 25 offers, signaling the potential teams saw in him. Michigan State head coach Mark Dantonio paid a late December visit to Diggs in hopes he'd join the up-and-coming program in East Lansing.
The Army All-American was one of the best 60 seniors in the talent-rich state of Florida and chose South Carolina over the Spartans, as well as division rivals Tennessee and Vanderbilt.
College Career
There were several fans of Diggs when he arrived in Columbia and he truly competed for the starting SPUR position as soon as he stepped foot on campus. He could not grasp the first team spot from Sharrod Golightly but was poised for a key reserve role until a left calf strain caused him to redshirt early on in his freshman season.
During his first full season as a Gamecock, Diggs contributed in all 13 games as a reserve. The following year, he again appeared as a back-up but made two starts as a redshirt sophomore.
Last season, Diggs started 10 of 12 games at strong safety after spending much of his college career at the versatile SPUR position. After some poor performances, often due to bad leverage and poor angles, Diggs did not get the start against Tennessee and The Citadel. Diggs was usually quickly reinstated when he was benched and managed to finish fifth on the team with 48 tackles.
2016 Outlook
With a new era settling in for 2016, Diggs sits in limbo as Will Muschamp takes over. Much of his time in Columbia was spent at a position that no longer exists and this new defensive staff looks for a different type of player than Diggs when evaluating their safeties.
For now, Diggs is listed as a linebacker, which was a shock to him. He said he still attended safety meetings and has still carried himself like he is going to be a safety for the Gamecocks in 2016.
The Fort Myers native sat out spring practice while recovering from offseason shoulder surgery. Diggs has played in every game in the past three seasons and in 40 games overall. In the preseason two-deep depth chart, Diggs' name was nowhere to be found.
The secondary is sure to be a revolving door this year so could Diggs once again become a safety as a mid-season experiment? It could be in the cards. But for now, he'll find myself in this team's deepest position group.