South Carolina Football: Former speedster re-signs with local NFL team

One of the fastest receivers to play for the Gamecocks under legendary Head Coach Steve Spurrier was Damiere Byrd. Byrd was never the top receiver for the South Carolina football team, but he was a solid player for three seasons in garnet and black (he didn’t play much as a freshman), and his presence on the field kept defenses honest due to his elite straight-line spring speed. He was also a good kickoff returner but never quite broke one for a score while in college.

In his Gamecock career, Byrd caught 68 passes for 1265 yards and 10 touchdowns and ran the ball for another 141 yards. He ranks inside the top-20 all-time at the University of South Carolina in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. From 2012-2014, he ranked second on the team in yards and touchdowns and third in catches. Seven of Byrd’s ten touchdowns went for over 30 yards.

When one Carolina career ended for Byrd, another Carolina career began for the 5’9″ speedster. This second Carolina career started when he was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the 2015 NFL Draft after running an impressive 4.30 in the 40-yard dash at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine. Since leaving the Panthers in free agency after year 4 in the League, Byrd has played for the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, and Atlanta Falcons. On Friday, he re-signed with the Carolina Panthers on a one-year deal worth just over $1 Million.

Byrd is entering his ninth NFL season, tying him with Alshon Jeffery and Robert Brooks for the longest NFL career of any South Carolina wide receivers. Former Gamecocks Pharoh Cooper (2016), Deebo Samuel (2019), Bryan Edwards (2020), and Shi Smith (2021) are also still active in the league as wide receivers, and Josh Vann will start his professional career this fall.

Byrd is looking to compete for a spot on the active roster alongside Smith who also plays receiver for the Panthers.