The South Carolina football program has had an up-and-down special teams history. With current special teams coordinator Pete Lembo and head coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks are one of the best special teams units in America. The return game is often the forgotten aspect of Carolina’s special teams dominance, but Xavier Legette took a kickoff back for a score last season, and Josh Vann was one of the country’s most consistent punt returners.
At different points in South Carolina football history, the Gamecocks have fielded elite return games. Blocking and scheme are key elements of a successful return unit, but the returner himself is the central piece of any kick return or punt return. Which men were the best of the best when returning kicks for the Gamecocks?
Honorable Mention
Xavier Legette: One of the fastest Gamecocks ever, Xavier Legette (2019-2023) has had an up-and-down career as a wide receiver, but once he got his chance as a kick returner, he shined. In addition to his speed, Legette is one of the biggest returners in Carolina history at 6’3″, 225 pounds. Legette took a touchdown back against Texas A&M in 2022 in which he broke a two-man tackle, lost his shoe, and still outraced the Aggies for 100 yards. XL will get a chance to move up this list as he returns for one final season in 2023.
Chavez Donnings: Chavez Donnings (2001-2003) was a speed demon who didn’t see much game action for most of his career. However, his athletic ability intrigued Lou Holtz enough into utilizing him occasionally as a punt returner. In one of his five chances fielding punts, Donnings scampered 73 yards to the end zone. Perhaps with more opportunities, he could have done it again.
Frank Adams: An offense-turned-defense player who came to South Carolina as a do-it-all offensive weapon, Frank Adams (1989-1993) didn’t have things work out for him very well until he was moved to cornerback. Not only did Adams see consistent playing time, but he became a better return man after his switch to defense. He returned a kickoff for a touchdown in 1992, which was also his best year all around.
Matthew Thomas: Matthew Thomas (2001-2004) was a receiver who struggled to catch the ball. This was, obviously, a problem, so Thomas was moved to corner for a time in the 2002 preseason before regaining the trust of his coaches. In his second game back at receiver, Thomas caught his first touchdown. A quarter later, he found the end zone again, this time on a 95-yard kickoff return. It would be the last kickoff return for touchdowns for the Gamecocks for 13 years. The rest of Thomas’ career as a returner was less than stellar, but his one score was a big deal.
Raynard Brown: In an era in which every running back except Thomas Dendy handled kick return duties, Raynard Brown (1983-1986) was one of three running back mates to return a kickoff for a score, though Brown’s was the most impactful. In a huge game against Florida State, Brown went 99 yards as part of six straight scores for the Gamecocks in the 38-26 win.
Captain Munnerlyn: Captain Munnerlyn (2006-2008) was an undersized defensive back, but his elite quickness earned him some opportunities as a returner. His punt return numbers weren’t great as he often did not call for fair catches, but he had some very solid kickoff return averages. His best return came against Kentucky when he took a kick 84 yards to put the Gamecocks into scoring position.
Terry Cousin: An elite athlete at corner, Terry Cousin (1993-1996) proved too valuable to never touch the football. Midway through his career, Brad Scott moved Cousin to the starting kick return spot, and he paid back his coach’s faith with a 73-yard touchdown on a pooch kick against Louisiana Tech. Cousin went on to a solid NFL career but wasn’t utilized as a return man as a pro.
Kent Hagood: Kent Hagood (1981-1985) spent most of his career as the “other back” behind Thomas Dendy, but his freshman year is extremely underrated in Gamecock history. In 1981, Hagood was electric in non-rushing situations as he had an 83-yard touchdown reception and was an excellent kickoff returner. His return work was highlighted by a 93-yard touchdown against Hawaii in the Aloha Bowl.
Greg Philpot: As a true freshman in 1983, Greg Philpot (1983-1987) did not see the field much on defense. Despite that limited action, he would go on to become one of the best safeties in school history. But before he saw significant snaps on defense, Philpot played special teams. He was a very good special teams player as a freshman before he got a handful of punt return opportunities. He made the most of those chances when he took a punt back for a 56-yard score against Navy.
Josh Vann: Josh Vann (2018-2022) was a great success story as a Gamecock as the drop-prone young player developed into a reliable and dynamic receiver who was also a team leader. He became the punt returner in his final two seasons in garnet and black and put together some of the country’s best return averages despite never taking one back for a score. His work was solid enough that an NFL executive told him during the pre-draft process that he could start for them at punt returner “right now.” He was signed by the Carolina Panthers after the 2023 NFL Draft.
Todd Berry: Mostly the third back behind Thomas Dendy and Kent Hagood, Todd Berry (1980-1983) was typically only used at the goal line as he was, at different points of his career, a bigger running back and a faster fullback. He was able to show the “faster” part off in one of his two career kickoff returns. Against NC State in 1983, Berry went all the way for an 85-yard score.
South Carolina Football’s No. 10 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
WR Robert Brooks
Robert Brooks (1988-1991) came to South Carolina as a speedy running back but was too talented just to sit on the bench behind starter Harold Green, so head coach Joe Morrison found different ways to get Brooks on the field. He was moved to receiver but also saw extensive work as a return man in his career.
As a freshman in 1988, Brooks returned a kickoff for a 98-yard touchdown in a one-score victory over Virginia Tech. He continued being a good kick returner for the remainder of his career, but he got less work returning kicks and punts the older he got. The excellence as a return man continued into his NFL career as Brooks took back three kicks (two kickoffs and one punt) in his Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame career.
South Carolina Football’s No. 9 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
DB/WR Chris Culliver
A five-star prospect out of high school, Chris Culliver (2007-2010) came to South Carolina with no defined position. Steve Spurrier wanted to use the dynamic athlete at receiver, but things never clicked for the North Carolina native as a wideout. As a compromise, the HBC utilized Culliver as a kick returner, and he went on to accumulate more return yards than any other Gamecock in program history.
While Culliver never scored a touchdown on a kick return, he was a weapon on special teams for some Gamecock teams that often needed an offensive spark. Two of his best returns came in the same game against Kentucky in which #17 set his team up for touchdowns twice in a closer-than-it-should-have-been contest.
South Carolina Football’s No. 8 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
DB Bobby Bryant
Bobby Bryant (1964-1966) was another elite Gamecock corner who was called on to return kicks. No player has a better punt return average for a single season than Bryant’s 18.5 yards per return in 1966. That season is one of the three best punt return seasons in Gamecock history (along with Ace Sanders’ 2012 season and Dickie Harris’ 1971 campaign) as Bryant took two punts to the house, including a 98-yard return that began with a risky fielding of the ball at the 2-yard line.
Bryant is first all-time in punt return average and has good numbers as a kickoff returner. In addition to becoming an All-Pro cornerback with the Minnesota Vikings, Bryant also continued his solid work as a return man in the NFL, though he never broke one for a score in the pros like he did in college.
South Carolina Football’s No. 7 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
DB Rashad Fenton
Before he earned (and later lost) the moniker of “Fenton Island,” Rashad Fenton (2015-2018) was a part-time defensive back but an impact return man. In his first two seasons in Columbia, Fenton returned a kickoff for a touchdown against LSU and a punt for a touchdown against Kentucky (linked above), but the punt return was called back for an inconsequential block in the back.
For some reason, Fenton was only given 28 total return attempts combined between punt returns and kick returns despite playing for some teams that struggled to score. His 25.0 yards per return average is one of the best numbers in school history, and he took one of his three punt return attempts all the way for a score (before being negated by the block in the back penalty). Deebo Samuel burst onto the scene as a kick returner during Fenton’s sophomore season, but that does not explain his lack of touches on punts. Maybe someone could ask Will Muschamp about that.
South Carolina Football’s No. 6 Greatest Punt/Kick Returner of All-Time:
RB Derek Watson
Nicknamed “Squeaky” for his vision and slipperiness with the ball in his hands, Derek Watson (1999-2002) was a special player. The team’s primary running back when he wasn’t in head coach Lou Holtz’s doghouse, Watson was not an elite sprinter, but he was a tremendous return man who had some horrible luck on some of his biggest plays.
Watson scored a touchdown on a punt return in 2000 (one of just three chances he had on the season), but he had two separate touchdowns called back on penalties on kickoffs, one a phantom offsides and the other a behind-the-play clip that went against the Gamecocks. His 2001 season did not include a special teams touchdown, but his 29.1 average return is one of the best single-season numbers by a Gamecock returner in school history. He would eventually finish his career at South Carolina State after being dismissed by Holtz.
South Carolina Football’s No. 5 Greatest Punt/Kick Returner of All-Time:
DB Dickie Harris
An elite cornerback, Dickie Harris (1969-1971) also was a dynamic return man in his day. He was generally better as a kickoff returner as he has one of the highest kick return averages in Gamecock history and had a score as a junior. His career numbers as a punt returner were not very good until his final season in garnet and black when he exploded for three punt return touchdowns. His success as a returner earned Harris some offensive snaps, including three rushing touchdowns and 100+ yards against Wake Forest in ACC play.
South Carolina Football’s No. 4 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
RB Boo Williams
Boo Williams (1996-1999) was a talented player who never quite got the necessary opportunities on offense to make a major impact as a running back. He was a good back but never had more than 600 yards of offense in a season. However, where Williams left his mark was on special teams. A 4.4 40-yard dash afforded Boo an opportunity to return kicks for the Gamecocks while he split time at running back with more-heralded names like Duce Staley, Troy Hambrick, and Derek Watson.
Williams’ sophomore year of 1997 was his best year as a return man, and it was probably the second-best kickoff return season in Gamecock history behind Deebo Samuel’s 2017. The speedster took two kickoffs to the house that year on just 18 tries. The rest of his return man career was still good, but he never scored another special teams touchdown.
South Carolina Football’s No. 3 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-time:
WR/Wing-Back Sterling Sharpe
Sterling Sharpe (1983-1987) was one of the greatest wide receivers in the history of South Carolina football, but he was also a really good returner. His kickoff return against Duke was one of the best in school history. That was not his only return touchdown, however, as his now-retired #2 jersey found the end zone for the fifth time in 1987 against teams from Virginia (3 rushing touchdowns vs. Virginia Tech; 1 receiving touchdown and a punt return touchdown vs. Virginia) with his 59-yard punt return.
When Sharpe got to the NFL, he began his career as the Green Bay Packers starter at both kick returner and punt returner, but that lasted just a few games as he proved himself too valuable to lose to an injury on special teams. Unfortunately, that would eventually happen to Sharpe as his Hall of Fame career was derailed by a neck injury that never allowed him to play again.
South Carolina Football’s No. 2 Greatest Kick/Punt Returner of All-Time:
WR/RB Deebo Samuel
Tyshun “Deebo” Samuel (2014-2018) was an underrated prospect out of Chapman High School who Upstate South Carolina high school football fans couldn’t believe wasn’t a four or five-star recruit. As it turned out, he should have been. Samuel, once he got relatively healthy, was a star for the Gamecocks. He possessed a rare combination of high-end tackle-breaking strength and elite sprint speed that made him a nightmare for opposing defenses as a wide receiver (and occasionally as a running back).
However, Deebo might have been most deadly as a kick returner. #1 took back a kick for a touchdown in 2016 as a redshirt sophomore, and something clicked as he finished the year well as a returner. That success carried over into 2017 as Deebo had two kick returns on the season before getting injured. His two returns? Two touchdowns. Even after being the focus of every special teams coordinator when he returned in 2018, he had another kickoff return for a touchdown that season when a squib kick bounced off of an upback straight to Samuel.
South Carolina Football’s Greatest Kick/Punter Returner of All-Time:
WR Ace Sanders
The shiftiest Gamecock to ever juke a defender, Ace Sanders (2010-2012) was impossibly quick. What he lacked in straight-line speed, he more than made up for with momentum-defying cuts and elite acceleration. Sanders was a good wide receiver during his career as a Gamecock, but he was best known for his work as a punt returner as he was one of the best college football has ever seen.
Sanders scored on a punt in the season opener in 2011, the first punt return for a touchdown in almost a decade for the Gamecocks. His 2012 season, though, was the stuff of legends. He took back two different punts for scores, including one that induced one of the loudest moments in Williams-Brice Stadium’s history against Georgia. His best return, though, might have been a non-touchdown against Missouri in which he shook almost the entire coverage team before being shoved out of bounds inside the 5-yard line.