COLUMBIA — Javon Charleston hadn’t played defensive back since middle school. But the former wide receiver still possessed one of the qualities head coach Will Muschamp was looking to imprint upon the South Carolina secondary.
“I’m definitely physical,” said the redshirt freshman, switched from receiver to safety two weeks into preseason camp. “I don’t back down from hitting.”
Last season’s USC secondary might have been defined by a different term — soft, as in the type of coverages it often employed. The results were evident in box scores: Georgia quarterback Greyson Lambert completing an NCAA record 24 of 25 pass attempts, Missouri’s Drew Lock completing 21 of 28, Texas A&M’s Kyler Murray completing 20 of 28.