2023 NFL Free Agency: Former Gamecock pass catcher returning close to Gamecock Nation

South Carolina football has had a long string of talented tight ends over the last twenty seasons. Potentially the best of the group was Hayden Hurst. A former professional baseball player, Hurst walked-on at Carolina as a receiver before adding weight and becoming a tight end. Now, after a new deal in NFL free agency, the career move for Hurst sure seems to have paid off.

Hurst is signing a three-year contract worth just over $21 Million with the Carolina Panthers, bringing him just about an hour north of his collegiate home. For those who are often skeptical of rumors in sports, Hurst confirmed the news himself on Twitter.

Hurst was picked in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft and has been a productive tight end for the Ravens, Falcons, and Bengals. He will now take his sure hands to Carolina who will likely be drafting a rookie quarterback in April’s NFL Draft. During Hurst’s career, he has the third-lowest drop rate of any tight end in football at just 2.6%.

Gamecock fans were used to seeing Hurst catch everything in sight during his South Carolina career. Despite only playing for two years in Columbia, Garnet Thor has the second-most receiving yards ever by a tight end in school history and was an All-SEC performer in his final year. Now that he is going to be moving to Charlotte, many Gamecock fans will once again be able to see Hurst making plays on the football field.

In addition to his considerable athletic talents, Hurst has a foundation that, among other things, fights for suicide prevention and partners with depressed and/or suicidal individuals. Having battled depression himself, the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation is a personal and meaningful part of Hurst’s life, and the world is a better place because of him.