True freshman who enrolled at Carolina in January... played in all 13 games, making two starts... credited with 17 tackles including 2.0 tackle for loss... logged one interception, one PBU and a forced fumble... tallied his first three tackles versus Georgia... intercepted a pass against Chattanooga... had five tackles, 1.0 tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a pass breakup against Akron in his first career start... the start came at safety after primarily playing cornerback throughout the year... saw extensive action at Clemson and made three tackles... matched his high with five stops as a starter at cornerback in the Belk Bowl vs. Virginia... named to the First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll.

Graduated from Parkway High School in Bossier City, La., in December 2017... the Panthers posted a 5-6 mark in his senior season... selected to the Offense Defense All-American Bowl... coached by Neil May... originally from Moncks Corner, S.C. but moved to Louisiana prior to his senior year... logged 69 tackles in help the Berkeley Stags go 9-3 in 2016, after they finished 3-7 in 2015... Rivals ranked him as the 19th-best player in the state of Louisiana and the 35th-best safety in the country... named to the PrepStar All-Southeast Region team.

Israel S. Mukuamu was born Nov. 28, 1999... is in the sport and entertainment management program.

Israel Mukuamu had to make a choice.

                Hewasn’t even yet a junior at Berkeley High School in Moncks Corner, but he faceda decision that was going to change the course of his future. It meant livingapart from his dad, Muana “Charles” Mukuamu, for a year while looking tosolidify his football future.

                “It waspretty hard because I got my first offer that summer going into my junioryear,” Mukuamu said. “So I felt like if we were to move right then and there,it was going to kind of mess things up.” When work took Charles Mukuamu toLouisiana, the family stayed behind in South Carolina. An older brotherfilled-in some of their father’s responsibilities until their situation was onmore stable ground and the family could reunite.

                IsraelMukuamu played a final season at Berkeley before moving to Louisiana his senioryear of high school. Plans to play college football at Florida State wereupended. Eventually, he returned to the Palmetto State to play for WillMuschamp, the man who extended his first scholarship offer.

                Now aSouth Carolina Gamecock, he’s generating NFL Draft buzz and looking forward tothe third year in Columbia. He’s grown a lot in the past two years, faced therigors of college football on the field and off. But he’s always had a supportsystem of family and coaches, and that helped carry him through time with afamily split by almost 900 miles of distance.

                “It wastough on myself to leave my family behind,” Charles Mukuamu said. “But I couldnot resist because of the pressure I received from their love of football. Itwas impossible for me to resist. I didn’t want to mess up the gift from God.

                “It wasa sacrifice I’m supposed to do for them to succeed.”

The word Charles Mukuamu used to describe hissecond-youngest son is one not often applied to younger kids: focused.

                “Israelcan stay in the room, play with his toys by himself,” Charles Mukumau said. “Hecan stay longer. He’s got this sense of concentration.” His older brotherJoseph painted him as a child both calm and competitive. That’s somethingIsrael still possesses, still applies to his craft on the football field.

                And hecould run — his father remembers a trip to the doctor’s office when two of hissons raced while in the waiting room. Israel took off, lapping Joseph. Combinethat with a doctor’s prediction that Israel would reach 6-foot-4 or 6-foot-5 inheight, and he had an athletic future.

                CharlesMukumau was a high-end judo competitor, but his four boys never got into thesport. After he immigrated from the Congo, his sons — Sergio, Joseph, Israel,and Emanuel — grew up in the Charlotte area. It was Sergio, the oldest by morethan half a decade, who first found his way to football.

                “Atfirst I started playing football with the kids in the neighborhood,” SergioMukuamu said, “I would always run plays with Israel and Joseph and Emmanuel.I’d really run plays with them, and have them play against older kids outside,and they would excel.” The three younger brothers signed up for recreationleague together, brothers spread across a few age groups. Sergio helped guidethem, sharing the joy of a road trip back from a win or getting on them after aloss. Israel, 7, was already different, intercepting a pass his first game andplaying some running back before he fully sprouted up in eighth grade. Israelplayed just about every position but the offensive line at one point oranother, Joseph said.

                Sergioplayed football at Garinger High School in Charlotte at the same time fatherworked his way toward the American dream.

                Whilehe and his wife raised his boys, Charles Mukuamu, who came to the United Statesin 1995, worked as a forklift driver. But he was also going to school, first tostudy electrical engineering and then information technology. Completing thatdegree led him to work for the Department of Defense, a job that brought theMukuamu family to the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

                JosephMukuamu played football at Berkeley High School, but it was Israel who reallyblossomed there. With parents not involved in the thick of the sport, Sergiogave his brothers a level of guidance and even some early coaching he’d nothad.

                “Ididn’t have a big brother,” Sergio Mukuamu said. “I didn’t have what Israelhas, somebody to teach me about camps — you need to go here, you need to gothere, you need to meet with coaches. I didn’t have that, so lucky enough forhim for Israel he had me and he has somebody that would actually drive himeverywhere for camps.” His father jokingly calls Sergio “the coach of thefamily,” sacrificing to pass on the gift of football to his brothers. He saidhe felt God chose his older sons to help their younger brothers along,dedicating their time and sometimes money toward the effort.

                In thesummer before Israel’s junior year in high school, all that work paid off.South Carolina football coach Will Muschamp came in with the first scholarshipoffer.

                But withwhat was coming, that potential suddenly seemed fragile.

                CharlesMukuamu’s job called for him to move to Louisiana. He was the patriarch of afamily with four boys, and it seemed a bit strange that a sport he didn’t havetoo much of a sense for was going to create such an issue.

                “Seeingme growing up and playing football, he started getting into it more justlearning about it and he really loves the game of football actually. He doesn’treally understand it all the way, but he has a good understanding of the game,”Israel Mukuamu said.

                Much ofhis dad’s interest in football came in recent years. At the time, before the2016 season, Sergio led the way in trying to convince Charles of the plan.

                Thelogic was simple: Leaving Berkeley would mean hitting the reset button. Israelwould have to meet new coaches while in Louisiana, get his feet wet with a newprogram and figure out his role in a rather crucial year for recruiting.

                “I hadto explain it to my dad like, ‘Listen, Israel is at a pivotal year,’” SergioMukuamu said. “This is his junior year. He could really take off, hisrecruiting could really take off.

                “If hedoes what he needs to do this year, it’s OK to move to another state because hehas offered. His name will carry weight.” The pitch was still tough. It’s onlynatural a father wants his family there with him, especially as he figured outlife in a new place. Out on his own in Louisiana, it wasn’t easy.

                “Istruggled by myself because I don’t know how to cook,” Charles Mukuamu said. “Idon’t know how to do that. That’s where I appreciate all the work my wife isdoing for me. I was miserable over there, but that’s the price I’m supposed topay.” The family considered leaving behind only Israel and Sergio, 25 at thetime, but ultimately the plan was for only Charles to go. He can laugh about itnow, saying he didn’t have a choice. It was five against one.

                Lifeback in Berkeley County asked plenty of the Mukuamu family. Sergio filled therole of man of the house, with Joseph helping guide them as well. Betty Mukuamuworked full-time as a certified nursing assistant, balancing two sons in highschool and helping her other two sons as well.

                “My momhas been amazing,” Sergio Mukuamu said. “She basically had to take care of thehouse. She has four boys, going to work, cooking for us, making sureeverybody’s well, missing her husband but still working hard — holding it downwhile my dad is gone.” Sergio recalled having to keep his brothers on the balland up to par in school. It required a wide-ranging support system, whichincluded English teacher Meredith Strmac.

                “Shewould make sure that they did all their homework,” Sergio Mukuamu said. “Shewould make sure that she spoke to the teachers if they needed help withanything. ... So I had major help.

                “I hadeyes on them in school when I wasn’t there, so that teacher was really like asecond mom.”

                And theplan paid off.

                By theend of Israel’s junior season at Berkeley, he’d added three more collegescholarship offers, securing that momentum. He’d kept his grades up, and thefamily was set to reunite in Louisiana at the semester break.

                Anoffer was made for him to live with a teacher and finish out his education atBerkeley, but after much prayer, that push fell on deaf ears. The family wantedto be back together.

                “Wewere used to growing up in the household with both our parents at home,” JosephMukuamu said. “So seeing our dad just kind of make the way already and go aheadand leave and move on to Louisiana, it was pretty tough.

                “Godhad his plans, so we just went along with it.”

                MalLawyer remembers the moment in 2014 well.

                Theformer Clemson wide receiver had just made the switch from coaching his formerposition to coaching on the other side of the ball, after then-Berkeley headcoach Jeff Cruce granted his request to work with the defensive backs. ThenLawyer got a rising pupil to mold, Israel Mukuamu fresh off the move fromCharlotte, ready to start his freshman year of high school.

                “He andhis brother Sergio came by the school,” Lawyer said. “Then when I saw him. Itwas like, oh my God!” He was already 6-foot-3, even lankier than he is now. Buttalk to the coaches who worked with him then, and they remember a young playereager to learn and eager to throw his all into things.

                “Incrediblework ethic,” Cruce said. “Was very quiet, but just anything you told him, hejust soaked it up.” Cruce saw a certain fire in the young player. Years earlieras a grad assistant, he’d watched Clemson defensive back Donnell Woolford snapat an older player who told the then-freshman to take it easy. Woolford didn’tand ended up with a 10-year NFL career. It was that sort of focus Cruce saw inIsrael.

                SergioMukuamu thought his younger brother was destined to play wide receiver, atleast until a moment in that first Berkeley practice.

                “Helooked at the wide receiver line. He was like, ‘Man, I’m not gonna get anyplaying time,’” Sergio Mukuamu said. “Like this wide receiver line is long. Itwas like, ‘OK, let me just go to the corner, looking at the guys over here,like I just beat them out.’” He beat enough out to start his first high schoolgame and pick off a pass, on his way to leading the team in interceptions thatseason.

                Lawyertested his tall charge’s mettle as the team came down the stretch.

                “Ibenched him the game before (the playoffs) just to humble him,” Lawyer said. “Iwanted to see what kind of character he had. I wanted to see what kind ofplayer he was if he was to get benched. Would he be on the sideline pouting?”He roared back, dominated in the playoffs. Lawyer recalled hard tackles and atleast one interception against Dreher. The team advanced to the statequarterfinals.

                Eventhen, Cruce was telling Mukuamu that if he kept on his grades and put in theeffort, he’d be a college prospect. That offseason, Lawyer also connectedMukuamu to the defensive back coach at Elite Position Training in the Upstate,who augmented his growth at the position.

                Hecontinued to grow, attacking the weight room. The Stags struggled the next highschool season, which brought a coaching change.

                RandyRobinson came to Berkeley from Daniel High School. The new coach was impressedto see his new star.

                “Icouldn’t believe that kid wasn’t already graduated,” Robinson said.

                AtRobinson’s first Berkeley practice in 2016, Israel Mukuamu jumped into thethick of tackling drills. Robinson could only think: This kid’s not scared.Most players with that taller, willowy build shy from contact. Mukuamu embracedit.

                Even ata height where many saw him as a safety, Robinson kept him at the corner. Therehad been some thought to move him to the middle of the field, just so offenseswould be able to avoid him less.

                Israel’sbrothers played a key role around the team. Emanuel Mukuamu was the ball boyearly in his brother’s career. Robinson remembers Sergio leading things in thatone year when the family was apart.

                “Hisolder brother really stepped up and was able to take him to some of the(college) visits,” Robinson said, “so he can make a good, informed decision asfar as the recruiting.” Initially, Florida State was Israel Mukuamu’s choice,coming off five years of 10 or more wins. But the 2017 season was a down oneand FSU coach Jimbo Fisher moved on. The plans to go there went “up in smoke,”in Robinson’s words.

                Mukuamuplayed his senior season at Parkway High School in Bossier City, Louisiana. Hedissolved his pledge to Florida State. And there was South Carolina, the firstoffer, waiting for Mukuamu to land and come home. He committed to the Gamecockson Dec. 9, 2017.

                CharlesMukuamu knew the family wasn’t going to make that long drive up from Louisianafor games, so he set about looking for a job back in the Palmetto State.

                Throughhis son’s high school career, Charles Mukuamu also found a moment to leveragefootball for the purpose of education. A man who had bettered his situationwith a degree and had balanced judo and studies in his younger days, CharlesMukuamu laid down the law when it came to his sons and this game he was stillgetting a feel for.

                “‘Youdo that, I will be fine with you (playing football),’” Charles Mukuamu recalledtelling his son. “If you don’t do that, I’m going to pull you out. That was thecommitment we did with Israel.” In Israel’s freshman year of high school,Joseph said the three youngest brothers’ grades had started to slip, promptinga break from the game. Sergio had to convince their dad to let them play again.

                Crucehad been gone from Berkeley for a few years when Israel Mukuamu made his firstcollege decision for the Seminoles. But the coach still got a call from the17-year-old, just thanking him for what he’d done early on in that career.

                Lookingback, Cruce saw Mukuamu as something pretty rare.

                “Ithappens all the time in high school where you have kids like him and then theydon’t work as he does,” Cruce said. “And they don’t reach their full potential.It’s fun when you see kids like him that reach their potential.”

The learning experience of Oct. 26, 2019 for Israel Mukuamuwas about perception.

                He’drisen to being a starter in the SEC and was the central star of SouthCarolina’s win against Georgia two weeks prior, a victory that ranked asarguably USC’s best in nearly a decade.

                Butcoming out of the game at Tennessee, the tone changed to a degree for thesophomore. The team had lost a game it couldn’t afford to lose, and IsraelMukuamu had been on the wrong end of a few big plays. He struggled in tacklinga powerhouse receiver in a few spots. He also got beat on a post play thatproduced a long touchdown.

                Thiswas a day where he played 69 snaps. Most weren’t bad at all, but a few changeda lot of feelings and conversation about him. And in that, the lesson is attimes not to listen, especially when those chattering on social media ormessage boards don’t see the full picture.

                “Onething I understand is that everybody outside the team wouldn’t reallyunderstand what goes on inside the game,” Israel Mukuamu said. “In the game,you just see two bad plays and then for DBs, if you see two bad plays, youthink, ‘Oh, he’s having a terrible game,’ but that’s really not the case. Formost of those snaps, I played good. My coach (Travaris Robinson) always tellsus, the difference between playing playing DB and playing D-tackle is DB, youmake one bad play and everybody hates you.” He admitted there was a littlefrustration with the post-Tennessee commentary, but it reinforced theimportance of blocking out that noise and focusing on the craft. Looking at it,Lawyer said that game might have driven Mukuamu a bit going forward, as helooked to make up for it. Ultimately the aim was to flush it and move on.

                IsraelMukuamu’s time in college has featured the sort of natural growth that feelsunnatural to many athletes who have always been stars. Players good enough toplay in college generally play early and play a lot. Even one of IsraelMukuamu’s best friends on the team, Jaycee Horn, was living the life of afreshman starter in 2018.

                Andfamily saw that it was a bit of a process to figure out that sort of patience.Joseph Mukuamu remembered telling his brother to wait his turn, that his timeis going to come.

                “Ithink he was getting frustrated,” Sergio Mukuamu said. “He was like, ‘Man, Ithink I can play. I know I can play.’ I’m like, ‘It’s OK. You have seniors infront of you. They’ll leave soon. Then you’ll have your chance, but always beready.’ “It only takes one play.”

                As afreshman, he played in every game in a rotation role, but that meant a few oreven no snaps in some games early on.

                Butthings changed a bit as 2018 progressed. Injuries mounted in the secondary andthe team called on Israel Mukuamu more and more. By season’s end, he wasstarting, going head-to-head with Clemson’s decorated receiving group, a momenthis father remembered with pride.

                IsraelMukuamu admitted there was a bigger overall lesson at year’s end.

                “Year1, you’re a freshman, you don’t really know,” Israel Mukuamu said. “You want togo hard, not really take care of your body.

                “Year2, you’re playing more so you understand you can’t be up late at night ... justunderstand taking care of your body, stuff like that.” His family attendedgames and reminded him his time would come. It all paid off with that glorious2019 day in Athens between the hedges, when his three interceptions and onetouchdown made possible the season’s biggest upset.

                Hisfather remembered it as the “most fantastic” game he’d seen, sitting among 500raucous Gamecocks fans surrounded by more than 89,000 in Bulldogs red. Thosegames are intense afternoons, feeling the swings of emotions, hearing fansaround the family talk about their son’s play. Sometimes, the family feels likethey’re in the game.

                Itwasn’t a perfect 2019, but it was a step forged in the lessons of waiting a bitand having to work a little more for it.

                “Whenthe coach came, I told him, ‘OK, there are so many schools that want Israel,’”Charles Mukuamu said, looking back at his son’s recruitment and a conversationwith Will Muschamp. “But we trust you. We’re gonna give you Israel. The only thingI ask you: If he’s no good, don’t let him play. If he’s good, let him play. ...And that was the commitment.

                “Everytime when the game finished, I talked to him. What Israel was telling me isexactly what is doing now. ... He told me ‘Daddy, I’ll just wait my time. Whenmy number is gonna come, I’ll show up.’”

Israel Mukuamu is playing on a bigger stage with higherstakes, but his father’s message about grades and education keeps ringing out.

                Betweenhis height and his dominant Georgia performance, he’s caught at least theattention of those who write about the NFL Draft, and probably more than a fewfolks who work inside the league itself.

                But forthe moment, he’s not listening too much to all that.

                “Idon’t really pay too much attention to it because I could go out this year andhave a bad year and everybody can say whatever they want,” Israel Mukuamu said.“Or I can go out this year have a good year. So you’ve just got to block outall the outside noise and just go out there and compete and do your job.” Somewho write about or analyze the draft have suggested him as a first-round pick,potentially in 2021. But there are college football games scheduled between nowand getting to that point.

                Thisyear is rife with uncertainty, to say the least. The whole start of collegefootball was delayed, the seasons are shaken up by the COVID-19 pandemic.Closing in on the start of the SEC season has been a tall task, and gettingthrough a full season will be a taller one.

                IsraelMukuamu’s father said it will be up to his son if he wants to take an earlyswing at the NFL or wait for 2022. Israel has done well in school, workingtoward a sports and entertainment management degree.

                Whateverchoice he makes after whatever comes to pass in the coming months, he’s a youngperson who already made a pivotal life choice, accepting a situation where hisfamily was split and seeing it all the way through.

                Hissupport system was there for it all — parents, brothers, and many more whoplayed roles in him getting him where he is. He was once the kid who couldconcentrate and run like few others — and he’s not changed much.

                He’sjust older, wiser, experienced, and on the doorstep of so much more.

                “Hecontinued to improve and everybody now recognizes him,” Charles Mukuamu. “But Ilike his patience. I like his presence, his calm. He always tells me, ‘My timeis gonna come. When they call my name, Daddy, you’re going to see.’ That’s whatit is now. We will pray (to) God. We know we’re gonna see him by the grace ofGod in the NFL. By the grace of God, he will be there and do amazing stuff. Hedidn’t finish yet with his potential.”