South Carolina football will get its starting kicker back in 2021.
The Gamecocks have dealt with a number of opt outs and NFL draft departures throughout the 2020 offseason, but on Wednesday, they received a bit of good news in regards to next year.
Senior kicker Parker White has announced that he’s returning to Columbia in 2021, coming back for a fifth season. Normally, White would be forced to move on from the program, as he’s been the South Carolina starting kicker since his freshman year, but due to COVID, eligibility restrictions for this season and next were lifted by the NCAA.
Jason Aldean said it best, “We Back”. 2021 let’s get it, here’s to a better year, it’s only up from here. https://t.co/8jsgeQ3E6r
— Parker White (@parker_white4) December 24, 2020
This means the Gamecocks should have one of the league’s strongest special teams units, with the four-year starter teaming up with freshman All-SEC punter Kai Kroeger.
White was nominated for the Lou Groza Award prior to the start of the 2020 season. He connected on 11 of his 19 field goal attempts, recording a long of 48 yards. The senior was 11 of 15 inside of 50 yards, but missed all four of his attempts beyond that mark. He also made 26 of his 27 extra points.
For his career, White has made 56 of 82 field goal attempts, and 122 of 124 extra points. He’s posted two seasons where he’s made more than 80% of his kicks, and currently ranks as the program’s third leading scorer, with 290 career points. That mark puts him just 52 points behind Elliot Fry, who tops the list.
White should be an obvious candidate for all-conference honors in the upcoming 2021 season. Expect him to once again garner some recognition for the Lou Groza Award, as he caps off his Gamecock career.