Redshirt SC senior Deebo Samuel comfortably earns a spot on any respectable Heisman Trophy watch list.
On the eve of spring ball, few pundits think as far ahead as the Heisman race. However, I’m here and throwing Deebo Samuel’s hat into the ring this March.
One would be hard pressed to find an inside wide receiver of Samuel’s size. Though he stands six foot tall and weighs in at 216 lbs., he’s anything but lumbering. He plays with true swiftness and athleticism that belies his bulk.
In the two full games he played last season, Deebo Samuel returned two kickoffs for touchdowns. He netted a cool five scores and 352 yards in those two contests. With a pro-style quarterback in Jake Bentley to put the ball in his hands, Deebo’s run to the New York Downtown Athletic Club seems ripe. In the choice words of an ESPN broadcaster following last season’s win at Mizzou, Deebo scored in “f****** four different ways!” He went on to score on the first play of the game the next week against the Kentucky Wildcats.
Tragically, a leg fracture in the second half of the Kentucky loss derailed Deebo’s junior season. It nearly wrecked the entire team, who had to throw all they had at Louisiana Tech the week after Samuel’s injury.
A Gamecock quarterback had already single-handedly dismantled Mizzou in their own stadium. Last year, a USC receiver elevated a team all by his lonesome from a first quarter deficit.
Only two wide receivers have ever won the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award. Deebo Samuel could well become the third, and South Carolina’s second ever.
We have a whole season ahead of us. Even so, one cannot withhold admiration for Samuel’s sheer athleticism. The most dynamic Gamecock player since Pharoh Cooper, Deebo will do whatever it takes in order to elevate his team to victories this season. Provided he remains healthy, keep an eye on this freak of nature.