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T.J. Gurley

Class: Sophomore Hometown: Cairo, Ga. High School: Cairo

Height / Weight: 5-10 / 183 Position: FS Experience: 1 VL

Sophomore safety who sat out the spring while continuing his rehab from a knee injury suffered midway through his freshman campaign... hopes to be back at full strength this fall... if healthy, will compete with Kadetrix Marcus for the starting spot at free safety... earned a spot on the SEC All-Freshman squad last season.

2012: True freshman safety who was selected to the SEC All-Freshman squad by the league's coaches... played in eight games logging 13 tackles while working in the secondary and on special teams... one of four true freshmen to play in the season opener at Vanderbilt... made his first career start against Missouri, replacing the suspended D.J. Swearinger in the Gamecock secondary... made his second career start at Florida when the Gamecocks opened in a goal line defense... later suffered a season-ending knee injury in that contest while covering a punt.

HIGH SCHOOL: Earned Class AAA all-region and all-state honors as a senior defensive back at Cairo (Ga.) High School, graduating in 2012... three-year varsity starter who recorded 82 tackles and four interceptions in his senior season for the Syrupmakers... coached by Tom Fallow... team went 11-3 in 2011 after a 12-1 season in 2010... earned first team all-area and all-region and honorable mention all-state honors as a junior... participated in the RisingSeniors.com junior all-star game... was a three-star prospect, the 44th-best cornerback and the 70th-best player in the state by Rivals.com... rated a three-star prospect and the nation's 74th-best cornerback by Scout.com... a three-star recruit, the 35th-best safety and the 83rd-best player in Georgia according to ESPN.com... a three-star recruit, the 55th-best cornerback and the 51st-best player in the state by 247Sports.com... other suitors included Arkansas, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Mississippi State, Southern Miss and Tennessee.

PERSONAL: Timothy "T.J." Gurley was born February 20, 1994... is pursuing a degree in information technology.