The Final Cockdown: #1 Rico McWilliams

Rico McWilliams

RS Junior
Cornerback
5-11 / 186
Hampton, GA (Lovejoy High School)

Recruitment
A three-star prospect, McWilliams received numerous offers from schools around the nation including conference foes Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi St. and Vanderbilt before committing to the Gamecocks in June of 2011. 247 ranked him as the 51st ranked cornerback in the nation and 65th ranked player in his home state of Georgia.

College Career
After suffering a season-ending knee injury his true freshman year, McWilliams came back in 2013 to make a pair of starts against Arkansas and Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl, making appearances in nine total games. In 2014, he played in 12 games, starting half of those and racking up 33 total tackles for the year.

2015 Outlook
Rico is listed as a starting cornerback for this Thursday's season opener against UNC ahead of sophomore Al Harris Jr., and he should remain in the starting role for the rest of the season. The Gamecocks' secondary unit returns most of it's key players from last year, including McWilliams and Harris Jr.  so look for the strong duo to rotate in and out of the cornerback position throughout games.

Fun Fact
A two-time reigning SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll honoree, I like Mr. Rico's chances in the classroom this fall.