South Carolina football: Stephen Garcia stars in liquor ad

With the introduction of the new name, image, and likeness ruling by the NCAA, college athletes can now partner with both local and national businesses to promote their brands. We’ve already seen a few South Carolina football players do so, with Kevin Harris joining forces with Bojangle’s, Dakereon Joyner working with PSD Underwear, and Jaheim Bell recently teaming up with Domo Sports Group.

On Thursday, though, it was a different Gamecock star using his image to help out a Columbia-based liquor store prior to the season’s start.

Former quarterback Stephen Garcia was seen starring in a commercial for Green’s Liquor Store on Assembly Street. For those familiar with Columbia and the South Carolina campus, Green’s is located in the heart of the school, and is one of the most popular places to buy booze for both students and locals.

Garcia is the perfect fit for this ad spot, as many knew the long-haired signal caller as the life of the party. Being a student between 2009 and 2013, I remember (sometimes hazily) seeing the passer a number of times at Village Idiot in Five Points.

Fans also remember his outgoing personality, as well as some run-ins off the field. Still, no one will forget him leading the Gamecocks to their first and only SEC East title and appearance in the conference championship. Garcia took down top-ranked Alabama in Williams-Brice that season, still arguably the best win in program history. He was damn near perfect that sunny afternoon, and I’m sure a celebratory Green’s trip followed soon after he left the locker room.

Today, Garcia works to try and mold the next generation of college quarterbacks. His training company Spin It Athletics helps teach youngsters the proper technique of playing position as they continue trekking through their amateur careers.

While it’s awesome to see Garcia impacting the youth, we definitely need to see more of this kind of content in the future.