USC star edge-rusher accepts Senior Bowl invite, signaling end to college career
South Carolina edge rusher Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare accepted Friday to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the game announced Friday. The news makes it all but certain that the major cog in South Carolina’s 2021 defense is turning pro.
Enagbare hasn’t made a public declaration about his future, though his Twitter profile reads “NFL Bound.” The Senior Bowl is the most prestigious of the postseason all-star games for pro hopefuls.
The 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl is 2:30 p.m. Feb. 5 (NFL Network).
Enagbare took part in USC’s senior day ceremony Nov. 27 but still has one year of college eligibility. It wasn’t immediately known if he’ll take part in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30.
Enagbare was a force along South Carolina’s defensive front in Shane Beamer’s first year as head coach. The Georgia native finished the year fifth on the team in tackles, recording 43 stops, 2.5 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries.
Slotted opposite Aaron Sterling and alongside Zacch Pickens, Enagbare also ranked the fifth-best pass-rusher in the country among defensive ends according to Pro Football Focus.
The Gamecocks are poised to lose a handful of pieces along this year’s defensive front. Defensive tackle Jabari Ellis is out of eligibility. Sterling only played four games last year due to injury, but it’s unclear if he’ll return. Pickens, too, could have an NFL draft decision to make after a productive year on the interior.
Enagbare came to South Carolina as a four-star prospect in the class of 2018. He finishes his USC career with 120 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 24 tackles for a loss and three forced fumbles.
It’s not altogether clear where Enagbare might fall on NFL draft boards. He’s been projected as high as a first round pick but most prognostications are wide-ranging.
PFF ranked Enagbare as the No. 2 Edge in the 2022 draft class in June. ESPN’s Todd McShay slotted him as the No. 17 player in his mock draft that came out in August. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler didn’t have Enagbare in his initial mock draft of the offseason that dropped on Nov. 30.
If taken in the first round, it would mark the third consecutive year and fourth time in five years that a South Carolina player has been taken that early.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn was selected with the No. 8 overall pick last season by the Carolina Panthers. Prior to that, Javon Kinlaw went No. 14 to the San Francisco 49ers in 2019. Hayden Hurst was taken with the No. 25 to the Baltimore Ravens.
South Carolina has only had a player drafted in the first round of the NFL draft in three consecutive years one other time when Dunta Robinson, Troy Williamson and Johnathan Joseph were taken in the first round of back-to-back-to-back drafts between 2004 and 2006.
This story was originally published December 10, 2021 at 8:57 PM with the headline "USC star edge-rusher accepts Senior Bowl invite, signaling end to college career."
