South Carolina football: Kevin Harris is the SEC’s top returning tailback

South Carolina football has a star returning in its offensive backfield.

Brad Crawford of 247 Sports recently ranked the SEC’s top returning tailbacks for the upcoming 2021 season, and, not surprisingly, there was a Gamecock listed at the top of the pack.

Junior rusher Kevin Harris got the nod as the conference’s best returning player at the position after winning the regular season rushing crown last year. The ball carrier toted the rock 185 times to total 1,138 yards and 15 touchdowns in just a 10 game season. His 6.2 yards per carry average was a school record, as was his five-touchdown performance in a week eight matchup versus Ole Miss. Harris torched the Rebel defense for 243 yards, his first of two 200-yard outings on the year.

Here’s what Crawford had to say about the talented tailback.

"2020 numbers: 185 carries, 1,138 yards, 15 TDsWhy he’s formidable: Unless you watched Kevin Harris go to work last season on a bad team, you missed out. The SEC’s second-leading rusher behind Najee Harris, the other Harris scored 15 touchdowns including a program record four during South Carolina’s game at Ole Miss. He averaged 6.2 yards per carry behind an offensive line that performed well at times, but its lead ballcarrier managed the heavy lifting. At 5-foot-10, 225 pounds, Harris is a human wrecking ball and rarely goes down at first contact. He’s a home-run threat too after his speed was questioned by many early on in his career. Along heralded 2020 signee Marshawn Lloyd, Harris gives the Gamecocks a workhorse in the backfield and a difference-maker who will be leaned on heavily during Shane Beamer’s first campaign."

The Peach State native will look to repeat that performance in 2021, and figures to be a key difference maker in the Gamecocks’ new look offense. He should have some help in the backfield, too, with the addition of five-star running back MarShawn Lloyd, who missed all of last year with a torn ACL.

The duo could combine to create one of the league’s most formidable backfields, competing with rushers from the likes of Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, and Texas A&M. The running back position is certainly the focal point in an otherwise unproven South Carolina offense, and Kevin Harris is a big reason why.