South Carolina Kick Returner

From: Austin

The safety position was, how shall we say it, a struggle for the Gamecock defense in 2010. Both major starters have changed positions, Holloman to Spur and Auguste back to cornerback. DJ Swearinger is the only returner with any significant reps. Jimmy Legree was buried down the depth chart at cornerback. Corey Addison saw limited action, giving up a late TD pass against Southern Miss. Sharod Golightly was redshirted, while Sheldon Royster, and Kadetrix Marcus played on Friday nights. Brison Williams is on the shelf for at least 8 weeks. Seeing this, the news of DJ Swearinger injuring his hamstring is unsettling, no matter how minor. His loss would be devastating with a pass happy East Carolina awaiting. This brings the question: Should Bruce Ellington be the kick returner to decrease Swearinger's injury chances? Yes, most educated folks say you have to play to win. But, is DJ that much better than the others? If not, would it make more sense to hold him back for defense only because he is going to need all of his energy for the 60 plus passes the Pirates are expected to unleash.