Is Ben Endress the Next Alexander Henderson?

One of Gamecockillustrated.com's all-time favorite players was Alexander Henderson, the tackling machine, from the Mobile area. Henderson had no offers from Division 1 schools and walked on with the Gamecocks. A few years later, he graduated as one of the best linebackers in the history of the program.

It is way too early to tell, but, a similar story may be developing. Yesterday, Coach Crowe announced that Ben Endress had moved to #1 on the depth chart at Sam Linebacker. We don't think he was even listed on the depth chart going into camp, nor was he included in the roster on the Gamecocks' media guide.

Endress emergence is an amazing development as the Gamecocks are stacked with quality depth at linebacker. So, who is Ben Endress? Here is what we know. He played at Clay County high school, the same high school that produced starting guard, Michael "Spanky" Ellis. At Clay County, he was named first team all state and participated in the North-South all-star game. He is a bit undersized at 200 pounds, but may have bulked up under Coach Austin.

Can Endress hang on to the starting spot for the rest of camp? Who knows, but it sounds like the Gamecocks have found yet another player on defense.