South Carolina Football: Late season hero officially makes NFL roster
By Kevin Miller
![South Carolina football alum Nate Adkins signed a deal with the Denver Broncos after the 2023 NFL Draft. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Jki 123022 Ncaaf Nd Usc Cp 4Syndication Florida Times Union](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_1080,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape%2Fcover%2Fsport%2F82d9d7de6e7333b9eeef910dc902d0812ddcc721b7b76585a3bd8659496c3530.jpg "South Carolina football alum Nate Adkins signed a deal with the Denver Broncos after the 2023 NFL Draft. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union]Jki 123022 Ncaaf Nd Usc Cp 4Syndication Florida Times Union")
South Carolina football had one of the best finishes in college football in 2022. Beating two orange-clad playoff hopefuls in rivals Tennessee and Clemson, the Gamecocks were carried by heroes both of the expected and unexpected varieties.
Quarterback Spencer Rattler played up to his immense talent level, and wide receiver Juice Wells had a great finish to his All-SEC season. NFL corners Cam Smith and Darius Rush were very good at slowing the Vols’ and Tigers’ weapons on the outside, and defensive tackles Zacch Pickens and Tonka Hemingway were disruptive up front.
If South Carolina football fans were told their team would beat their orange rivals, they would have guessed that those players were big reasons why.
However, a few other heroes emerged.
Punter Kai Kroeger, though always an excellent punter, saved his best performance for the Clemson game. Marcellas Dial emerged with some big plays at the end of the year. Tight end Nate Adkins played a number of roles for the Gamecocks and played them all to perfection.
Adkins lined up in the backfield to serve as a lead blocker in the run game and, more importantly, as a personal protector for Spencer Rattler. He caught 11 of his 13 receptions on the season in the last three games of the year for 160 yards and one of the best one-handed catches of the entire season against Clemson. Also against the Tigers, Adkins punched out the football for what would be the game-winning fumble recovery on special teams.
Now, the hard-working tight end is officially on an NFL roster. Nate Adkins fought all the way through training camp and the preseason to make the 53-man roster for the Denver Broncos.
Adkins, who is the son of former Gamecock offensive line coach Greg Adkins, will have a chance to make his mark on the Broncos as a blocker and as a special teams contributor.
In training camp and the preseason, Adkins was a bright spot for new coach Sean Payton and Broncos fans. This comes as no surprise to South Carolina football fans who witnessed his on-field contributions first-hand in 2022.
Adkins will look to begin a long NFL career when the Broncos open their season against the Las Vegas Raiders on September 10th.