South Carolina football: Nick Muse to return for final season
By Jacob Elsey
South Carolina football will have a key pass catcher back in 2021.
South Carolina struggled in the passing game for the majority of last season, getting very little production out of anyone other than Shi Smith. Smith has announced his intention to enter the NFL draft, meaning more than a third of the Gamecock’s production in the passing game will be gone next year.
Smith’s loss hurts, as he was the most experienced and accomplished receiver on the roster, but the Gamecocks will get a huge boost following the decision of a key pass catcher regarding the 2021 season.
Transfer tight end has announced that he will be returning to Columbia next year after being South Carolina’s second leading receiver in the 2020 season. Muse tallied 425 yards and a touchdown, and was the only other pass catcher on the team to record more than 160 receiving yards. He averaged 14.2 yards a catch on 30 receptions, experiencing his best year in a Gamecock uniform.
This is a huge get for the South Carolina coaching staff, as Muse will be the only returning player with more than 1,000 receiving yards. Prior to joining the roster in Columbia, Muse played two season at William & Mary, where he tallied 34 catches for 498 yards, and earned all-conference honors as a sophomore. At South Carolina, he’s caught 47 receptions for 583 yards.
Muse was Luke Doty’s favorite target at the end of last year. He recorded season-highs in receptions in each of Doty’s appearances, hauling in six catches versus Missouri, and following it up with an eight-catch, 131-yard performance in his final matchup against Georgia.
The chemistry will be something to build upon in the 2021 season, and should give his new quarterback a familiar target in a receiving room that is going to look much different. Muse will be a focal point in Mike Bobo’s offensive system, and could be in line for a career year.