The Grind, Presented by Bank of Clarendon: Gamble grinds on, off the gridiron to stand out to recruiters

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Two things have always been crucial to Sumter High's Zyeir Gamble: family and football. They've always been intertwined.

Growing up in Bracey Square, Zyeir and his younger brother, Jaheim Rose, could typically be found tagging along with their older brother, Kenjae Rose, as he played neighborhood football. Kenjae is six years Zyeir's senior, so he wasn't always a fan of having his younger brothers in tow.

"I just followed in his footsteps," Zyeir said. "It brought us together. We used to watch (football) together on YouTube or on TV, sitting on the floor or the couch and then getting outside and throwing the football around for hours."

Zyeir realized at a young age that football could help him reach new heights. The brothers spent hours watching the Baltimore Ravens defense. Zyeir idolized Ed Reed at safety, while Kenjae, a linebacker, had his sights on Ray Lewis. Jaheim, a defensive lineman, wanted to be Terrell Suggs.

"We started falling in love with it and saying we're going to let football take us here, let football take us to school, let football take us to different places in the world. Even if it's not the NFL, it can get us a free education and take us across the world," Zyeir said.

When Kenjae started varsity football at Sumter High, Zyeir was right by his side, much to his chagrin.

"I actually set my alarm because he didn't like me coming to practice with him," Zyeir said. "He used to get mad at me a little bit, but my mom used to let me go with him. I used to be out there on the sidelines while they were practicing."

While Zyeir wasn't able to partake in practice, he learned valuable lessons as a grade-schooler, "all the coverages and the gaps, stuff like that."

"I was actually learning while he was learning," he said.

MAKING HIS OWN NAME

Kenjae graduated two years before Zyeir jumped to varsity football. When the young safety first joined the Gamecocks, he was 'the kid who came to practice a lot.' He wanted to become more.

In the summer before his freshman season, Zyeir made enough of an impact to get pulled up to JV. Within a couple of days, he was called up to varsity.

It's rare occasion for a freshman to see legitimate playing time. Zyeir was determined to be a rarity.

"It was a learning experience," Zyeir said. "I was just learning from O'Donnell (Fortune, who was a senior at the time and went on to play at South Carolina), people like that. I just kept learning until I got my shot on the field."

Zyeir got that shot soon enough.

He played eight games as a freshman, finishing his first varsity season with 27 tackles and showing off his ball skills with three interceptions.

The safety made an impact on a defense that featured four future Power 5 college football players. Joining Fortune was Justus Boone at Florida, Miles Capers at Vanderbilt and Davin Jackson at North Carolina State.

MAKING THE LEAP

Zyeir earned the full-time starting job as a sophomore, collecting 41 tackles, an interception and three fumble recoveries. He was a key contributor for the Sumter defense, but it wasn't until his junior season that Zyeir really started to turn heads.

He earned All-State honors after intercepting nine passes in just 11 games. His highlight performance in the secondary came against St. James, where he intercepted three passes and returned two of them for touchdowns in a 33-14 win. He also had 40 tackles, 6.5 of which came behind the line of scrimmage.

"Once you take one, two, three steps and the ball is in the air, it gives the receiver a chance to get the ball. When you get out of that break fast, you get a chance to get close to the ball and make plays on the ball," he said.

His work on that over the summer played perfectly into his mindset.

"My mindset is when the ball is in the air, I'm the receiver," Gamble said. "He's not really throwing it to me, but I want to go get the ball."

While Zyeir's defensive numbers were impressive, he also impacted the game in other ways. For the first time in his high school career, Gamble had the opportunity to play offense last season.

Zyeir did a little bit of everything. He rushed for 431 yards and led the Gamecocks with 11 touchdowns on the ground. He caught another four passes for 118 yards and a score. He even passed for a touchdown, completing three of his four pass attempts as Sumter's Wildcat quarterback in short-yardage situations. He threw for 88 yards and a score.

On special teams, Zyeir returned six kickoffs, one of which went back for yet another touchdown. He even punted six times and pinned teams inside the 20-yard line three times.

"It was fun because in ninth grade and 10th grade, I wanted to play a little bit of offense, but I never really got that chance," Zyeir said. "In my 11th grade year and I got the ball in my hands, I just wanted to score and hear the crowd to go crazy."

COLLEGE RECRUITING

After a season like that, it would be reasonable to expect the star safety would have college teams calling. But that's not the case when you're 5'9".

Zyeir wasn't particularly surprised. When his older brother went through the recruiting process, he was also undersized and overlooked. Kenjae eventually got his opportunity at the University of Charleston in West Virginia.

"I didn't really worry about my size because I know what I've got. I know what I can do," Zyeir said. "I just played hard and played physical. The size really doesn't matter. My film doesn't lie.

"It's what's in your chest, where your heart is at."

Zyeir had just one offer when his junior season came to an end. He needed to show coaches in person he is more than his height, so he started going to camps across South Carolina to places like Clemson and USC.

Eventually, Zyeir got an offer from Appalachian State. He didn't waste much time sitting on the offer, committing within a few weeks.

"I'm grateful and blessed I got it off my plate early," Zyeir said. "I didn't wanna go into my senior year as one of those guys without an offer."

Zyeir is thankful players from his brother's age-group opened the recruiting pipeline to Sumter again. Kenjae played with Raymond Johnson, who went to Georgia Southern before signing with the New York Giants, and Pressley Harvin III, who went to Georgia Tech and became the first Black punter to win the Ray Guy Award before being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Crestwood's Ty'Son Williams played at three Power 5 programs before making the jump to the NFL. He's now with the Indianapolis Colts.

On the basketball side, Crestwood's Ja Morant put Sumter back on the sports map with the Memphis Grizzlies, being named the NBA's Rookie of the Year in 2020 and the NBA's Most Improved Player and a starter in the All Star Game last season.

"They opened the doors a lot for my generation and the younger generation," Zyeir said. "It really turns a dream into reality. You can make it. It's not like you're just doing something for fun. They're a prime example of that."

SIGHTS ON A RING

Zyeir only has one goal in mind for his senior season, and it's not an individual milestone.

"I just wanna win a state championship. I just wanna get a ring on my finger," Zyeir said. "I'm pushing the guys. They probably don't like it sometimes, but I'm really trying to push the guys to lock in and focus and do what we've got to do so we can play on the big stage and get that ring."

Sumter has been a consistent contender during Zyeir's three seasons with the Gamecocks, but they've never made it past the state quarterfinals.

"We have to hold each other accountable more, even me," Zyeir said. "I know we can make that jump. We just have to stay locked in."