South Carolina football: three former Gamecocks headed to the Super Bowl

A few former South Carolina football players are Super Bowl bound.

Three former Gamecocks are off to Tampa, where they’ll represent their respective teams in Super Bowl LV on February 7th. It is the ninth consecutive season that a South Carolina alum has made a Super Bowl appearance.

Those three Gamecocks are Chief defensive backs Chris Lammons and Rashad Fenton, and Tampa Bay kicker Ryan Succop.

Succop and the Bucs took home the NFC crown by beating the top-seeded Green Bay Packers 31-26. The special teamer connected on all four of his extra point attempts in Sunday’s matchup, as well as a 46-yard field goal.

On the year, he made 28-of-31 field goals, with a long of 50 yards. His 90.3% field goal percentage ranks 11th in the NFL, and the veteran kicker has been perfect inside of 40 yards (20-for-20). Succop is sixth in the league in points scored this season, and ranks in the top 50 of all-time, having scored 1,182 points over his 11-year career.

As a Gamecock, Succop was an all-conference performer, leading the SEC in made field goals as a senior. He was successful on 49-of-69 career attempts, and also handled punt duties as a sophomore and junior, holding a career average of 42.3 yards on 85 attempts.

Two former South Carolina defenders make impact in AFC title game.

In yesterday’s evening matchup, the Chiefs took down Buffalo in the AFC title game. Two defensive backs, Chris Lammons and Rashad Fenton made big plays to help Kansas City leave with a win.

Lammons logged a tackle as a gunner on special teams, making a big hit on Buffalo punt returner Andre Roberts.

Lammons is in his second NFL season, and his first with Kansas City. He’s been a special teams contributor for the majority of his young career, tallying 14 tackles, three pass breakups, and an interception over 15 games.

As a Gamecock, Lammons was a four-year contributor, making 177 career tackles. He added 17 pass breakups, four picks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and a sack from his cornerback position, while also acting as the team’s primary punt returner for his final two seasons.

Lammons’ college and professional teammate Rashad Fenton also made an impact, picking off Bills’ signal caller Josh Allen in the fourth quarter with Buffalo looking to score. It was Allen’s first career redzone interception, which Fenton swiftly returned for 30 yards.

Fenton is in his second year with the Chiefs, and now will make his second career Super Bowl appearance. He saw an uptick in playing time in the 2020 season, appearing in 16 games and making three starts.

For his career, he’s now tallied 58 tackles, 13 defensed passes, and three interceptions, which he’s returned for 61 yards.

At South Carolina, Fenton racked up 122 tackles, 19 pass breakups, and five picks on defense. He also returned 26 kickoffs for an average of 24.8 yards a pop, and recorded a long of 96 yards.