COLUMBIA — The 2023 season didn't go as planned for South Carolina football, linebacker Debo Williams concedes.

The Gamecocks' defense finished near the bottom in the SEC in yards allowed per game and South Carolina went 5-7. Williams had a decision to make: He could declare for the NFL draft, transfer or return to South Carolina.

"I had a group chat, and I just said, 'I'm staying. This is a legacy year for us,'" Williams said on "The Paul Finebaum Show" on Aug. 15.

He knew some teammates might forgo their final year of eligibility and expected some to transfer, but Williams said he did the best he could to encourage his fellow defenders to stay.

"We came together, and it was something we wanted to do," Williams said.

Williams was voted a permanent captain by his teammates his junior year, which coach Shane Beamer said accurately shows the respect the Gamecocks have for Williams.

"It's the way he goes about his business every day, "Beamer said Tuesday. "Nobody can question how important football is to him. Nobody can question how physical he is."

South Carolina returns eight starters on defense. At the core is Williams, who said going through the hardships together last season will only make the defensive unit that much stronger in 2024.

"Our team bond has been different than any other year I've been here, I know we are going to go out there and put it all on the line for each other for sure," Williams said.

Williams started his college career in his home state, at Delaware before transferring to South Carolina in 2021.

He played 13 games in his redshirt freshman year, mainly on special teams, and became the first SEC player since 2010 to record two blocked punts in a game. In year two, Williams logged two career starts and 27 solo tackles.

Last season, Williams broke through. He finished second in the SEC (17th overall) in solo tackles with 67. His 113 total tackles was the most in a season by a South Carolina player since Jonathan Martin in 2002 (122). Williams had the second-most tackles for a loss on the team last year with nine.

Williams garnered accolades such as South Carolina's 2023 Joe Morrison MVP (Defense) award and was named to The Butkus Award watchlist, an award given to the top linebacker in college football.

"I led last year, but we have to turn the leadership style into winning," Williams said. "Elevating me, elevating players. We have to put it all together. I have more experience and can teach guys along the way ... to be a great leader, you have to have a great follower. When I was coming up, guys were leading me."

During practice Tuesday, Williams went 1-on-1 in a drill against transfer running back Rocket Sanders. Williams thought Sanders was knocked off balance, but Beamer said he saw it as Williams getting jolted by Sanders' powerful shoulder dig. So he told him that.

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"He clearly did not appreciate that because the next three plays he was like a mad man," Beamer said.

Defensive tackle T.J. Sanders tried giving Beamer credit for igniting Williams, but Beamer didn't see it like that.

"That's just him, he did that," Beamer said. "He loves to play ... he's not afraid to be vocal and hold people accountable when things aren't getting done the right way, too."

Williams is the glue of this defensive unit and he just wants to turn experience into success.

"I don't just talk, I show the action, and I am grateful to have guys that look up to me and respect me," Williams said. "We can go all the way with that."

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football's Debo Williams seeks to leave legacy in 2024