South Carolina Football Era Debate: Best Pass Catchers
By Kevin Miller
The South Carolina football program has had a sneaky great history of excellence at tight end and wide receiver. The Gamecocks have developed multiple first-round picks at the tight end position and have put a slew of receivers in the NFL. Because of the nature of offensive football, the older generations of Gamecock football do not have many pass catchers of note, but the last several decades have seen Carolina pass catchers in the spotlight. Which of these eras had the best weapons catching the football?
First, let’s define the eras.
The Rex Enright Era: Anything before 1956
While Coach Enright did not literally coach all of these seasons, he was by far the longest-tenured coach during this time period, having coached twice as many games as any other coach who came before him. This is, by far, the longest of the eras but also has the fewest amount of games per season and the lowest overall amount of talent to choose from.
The ACC Era: 1956-1974
The Gamecocks joined the ACC in 1953 and left in 1971. In an effort to not split coaching tenures between two eras, 1953-1955 will be included in the Rex Enright Era, and 1971-1974 will be included in the ACC Era. 1956 was the school’s first season post-Rex Enright, and 1974 was Coach Paul Dietzel’s final year in Columbia. South Carolina did not win a ton during this era but did capture its only conference championship, claiming the ACC crown in 1969.
The Independent Era: 1975-1988
Jim Carlen, Richard Bell, and Joe Morrison led the Gamecocks through life as an Independent program. Schedules were difficult, but South Carolina managed to win at a decent clip through these years. The Gamecocks actually became Independent in 1971, but Paul Dietzel’s final years are included in the ACC Era. The program would not officially join a conference again until 1992, but after Joe Morrison passed away and Sparky Woods became coach in 1989, the move to a conference (ultimately, the SEC) was inevitable.
The Early SEC Era: 1989-2004
The years leading up to South Carolina football’s move into the best conference in college football and its first 13 years in the conference were up and down. Sparky Woods and Brad Scott struggled but had brief periods of success including the team’s first-ever bowl victory in a win over West Virginia in the Car Quest Bowl. The Lou Holtz tenure in Columbia started horribly (0-11), soared to heights Gamecock fans hadn’t seen in almost 20 years (17-7 from 2000-2001), then fizzled (three straight non-bowl seasons and a brawl that put a black eye on one of football’s best rivalries).
The Steve Spurrier Era: 2005-2015
The Steve Spurrier Era in Columbia was the brightest time in South Carolina football history. Sure, individual seasons like 1969, 1984, 1987, 2000, and 2001 happened during earlier time periods, but no time in Carolina history produced more sustained success for the garnet and black. Even with a poor ending in 2015 that saw Shawn Elliott finish the season after the Head Ball Coach resigned, Spurrier’s overall success at Carolina is unrivaled, so giving him his own era just makes sense.
The Modern Era: 2016-Present
In an era that is still building, the Gamecocks have been on a wild ride. Will Muschamp came in and fixed some of the structural issues in the program from the Spurrier era and seemed to be on the road to glory after a good second season. However, he showed he was incapable of getting things done on the field and was replaced by former Spurrier assistant Shane Beamer. Beamer and his staff have since dug the program out of a bad culture that was present at the end of the previous regime, and the South Carolina football program is on the rise once again.
Best Pass-Catching Era of South Carolina Football
Each era of Gamecock football will have its positional group analyzed, and the top-three eras will be given a “starting lineup” that will be ranked against each other. Talent and positional fit will be the biggest factors, and depth will serve as a tie-breaker if the groups are just too close to point out any real distinction. For pass catchers, wide receivers will be joined by tight ends (specifically their receiving acumen).
The Rex Enright Era: Throwing the football was not a significant part of most offenses during this era of football, and, therefore, there are not many pass catchers of note from so long ago. John Rowland was the first tight end to score multiple touchdowns in one game, and Clyde Bennett made an All-American team after catching 6 touchdowns as a junior and 3 more as a senior.
The ACC Era: The first great receiver in Gamecock history played for Paul Dietzel in this era. Fred Zeigler led the team in receiving for three straight seasons and made multiple All-ACC teams. Jim Mitchell followed him as a very good receiving threat. Zeigler and Mitchell were Tommy Suggs’ best receivers, and they both played a role on the 1969 ACC Championship squad. Doug Hamrick, Marty Woolbright, and Johnny Gregory were solid tight ends during this era, as well.
The Independent Era: It was during this era of football that offenses started throwing the ball with more regularity. The Gamecocks still deployed a run-first attack, especially with George Rogers on campus, but some pass catchers were able to showcase their talent as well. The best of the bunch was clearly Sterling Sharpe who is not only one of the best Gamecocks ever, but would be one of the best NFL wide receivers of all-time had a neck injury not shortened his career.
Willie Scott was a first-round draft pick at the tight end position, and Phillip Logan, Ira Mitchell, Ryan Bethea, Danny Smith, and Chris Corley were good players at receiver and tight end during the Independent Era.
The Early SEC Era: Robert Brooks bridged the gap between the Independent Era and the Early SEC Era and became one of the best receivers in school history. Zola Davis, Brian Scott, Troy Williamson, and Jermale Kelly had great seasons in this era, as well. Tight ends like Matthew Campbell and Hart Turner were important pieces on their respective teams.
The Steve Spurrier Era: The deepest era for pass-catching talent came to town with the best play caller in college football history. What a coincidence, huh? Kenny McKinley and Sidney Rice are two of the best five receivers to ever play for the Gamecocks and were able to coexist on the same team because of their different styles. Rice was the big-bodied freak, and McKinley ran crisp routes and had great footwork.
In the latter half of Spurrier’s Gamecock tenure, Alshon Jeffery became arguably the best receiver to wear a Block C on his helmet, and tight ends Jared Cook, Weslye Saunders, Busta Anderson, and Jarell Adams became some of the best to ever play that position. For good measure, the Spurrier Era also included players like Pharoh Cooper, Bruce Ellington, Ace Sanders, Damiere Bird, Justice Cunningham, and Nick Jones.
The Modern Era: To be a disappointing era of offensive football, the modern era has had its fair share of talent in the passing game. This era included the best tight end in Gamecock history, Hayden Hurst, and two all-time receivers in Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards. Shi Smith and Josh Vann had very solid Gamecock careers, and Antwane “Juice” Wells is an excellent receiver on the current team.
The Verdict
With some exciting players on the current roster, the modern era will likely join this top-3 in the not-too-distant future. However, as it stands, the best three eras of passing offense in Gamecock history are the Early SEC Era, the Independent Era, and the Steve Spurrier Era.
3rd Place: The Early SEC Era
An interesting era that saw dynamic offenses with bad defenses and putrid offenses with stout defensive units, the Early SEC Era teams always seemed to have a threat or two on the outside. Hart Turner would be the tight end of choice from this era, but the receivers make up for his lack of explosiveness. Zola Davis, Robert Brooks, and Troy Williamson are three of the best big-play receivers to ever play for South Carolina and would complement each other well.
2nd Place: The Independent Era
Highlighted by a true #1 threat in Sterling Sharpe, speed merchant Phillip Logan would be a nice partner to Sharpe’s all-around ability. An excellent one-two punch at tight end would be useful as the massive Willie Scott and the athletic Danny Smith could work together in any era of football. Adding another athlete in Ryan Bethea would make an excellent top-5 catching passes from the Independent Era.
1st Place: The Steve Spurrier Era
This was inevitable. The Steve Spurrier Era was far and away the best era of Gamecock football in most areas, and this was clearly seen in the receiving game. Alshon Jeffery, Sidney Rice, Pharoh Cooper, and Kenny McKinley are four of the best receivers to ever come through the program, and Jared Cook’s playmaking ability at the tight end spot puts this group over the top.
