Coach’s corner: Anthony Addison

Sumter High head football coach Mark Barnes has coached numerous players in high school who have gone on to the college – and in some cases, in the NFL – level. His latest is South Carolina’s new verbal commitment, EDGE Anthony Addison.

“He’s got all the qualities,” Barnes said during an interview with GamecockCentral.com. “I think he’s tall enough. He plays with a lot of range. He’s fast and quick, which don’t always go together. I call it twitchy.”

The 2025 defender, who also carried scholarship offers from Duke, Tennessee, and numerous others, is listed at 6-foot-4, 215-pounds.

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Barnes feels that Addison has the potential to add plenty more weight once he gets into an SEC strength program.

“I think his frame is big enough where he can put on weight,” said Barnes, who also coached current Gamecock OD Fortune at Sumter. “Usually guys who come from high school and go to college and they start getting their nutrition, the tend to get a little bit heavier. I think 245, 250 (pounds) is pretty easy for him.”

Last season, Addison put up some impressive statistics: 96 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, and 6 sacks. The On3 Industry Ranking – a weighted average of all four major recruiting services – ranks him as a three-star prospect and the sixth-best prospect in the Palmetto State for the 2025 class.

“He plays with a great motor,” Barnes said. “He’s good at pass rushing stuff, but also good at playing physical stuff at him, which is a great combination. He plays hard and is relentless and doesn’t mind being involved in the fights, if you know what I’m talking about, the physicality of the game.

Addison is being recruited to South Carolina as an EDGE prospect, so he projects to be coached by assistant Sterling Lucas. Barnes gave his thoughts on how he could be utilized in college.

“I think he’s going to be either a boundary stand-up guy that rushes off the edge some, or he’s going to be like a four-man front, wide nine technique type guy,” the veteran coach explained. “And I think his playing style and his body type can adapt to either one of those. So, I think he’s a guy that, depending on what he does weight-wise, he could project to two positions.

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