South Carolina Football: Under the radar players to watch as fall camp begins
By Kevin Miller
South Carolina Football’s most under the radar players to watch in fall camp:
Wide Receiver/Kick Returner Xavier Legette
Under the radar might be an unfair descriptor for Xavier Legette. The fifth-year receiver is well-known by South Carolina football fans and has had a few big moments for the Gamecocks, especially last season (a 100-yard shoeless kick return touchdown against Texas A&M and a toe-tapping score in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame come to mind).
However, with the influx of pass-catching talent to the roster this offseason, Legette’s name has not been brought up as often as it should. Newcomers Trey Knox, Joshua Simon, and Nyck Harbor have joined Juice Wells as players who have been discussed more than Legette as targets for quarterback Spencer Rattler.
Seeing how Rattler, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, and wide receivers coach Justin Stepp utilize Legette could be a big indicator of the direction of the new-look Carolina offense. There are lots of newcomers, sure, but the Gamecocks also lost Jalen Brooks, Josh Vann, and the entire tight end room from last year.
Plenty of touches will be available in the passing game, and Legette could be one of the top options to take them. He fits naturally into Brooks’ role as a player who carries the ball on end-arounds (something he also did in 2022), and his straight-line speed would work well running some of the seam routes that Vann found success with (like his 60-yard score against Tennessee).
How Legette and fellow super seniors Ahmarean Brown and Eddie Lewis are utilized in the offense in fall camp likely will show South Carolina football fans what they can expect from what the personnel groupings might look like when the Battle of the Carolinas kicks off the season on College GameDay.