South Carolina Football: Several Gamecocks in search of NFL squads
By Kevin Miller
With the good news of this week that South Carolina football rookies like Cam Smith and Zacch Pickens (early-round draft picks) and Nate Adkins, Jalen Brooks, and Jovaughn Gwyn (late-round picks or free agents) made 53-man rosters in the league, there also came some unfortunate news.
Former Gamecocks Darius Rush and Josh Vann were believed to have had good chances of making the roster for the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers, respectively, but both players were surprisingly waived this week. Rush is almost guaranteed to find a new home quickly through the waiver wire, and Vann will look to latch on with a new team, as well, as his special teams prowess will go a long way in making him an appealing option for an NFL organization.
EDIT: After writing, Rush was claimed on waivers by the Kansas City Chiefs.
In addition to Rush and Vann, former South Carolina football alums Bryan Edwards (New Orleans Saints), Kevin Harris (New England Patriots), Shi Smith (Carolina Panthers), Zack Bailey (Los Angeles Chargers), Taylor Stallworth (Carolina Panthers), Damiere Byrd (Carolina Panthers, due to injury), Joseph Charlton (Cleveland Browns), and Kobe Smith (New York Giants) were all waived or released outright.
Earlier this offseason, kicker Parker White, linebackers Sherrod Greene and Brad Johnson, and offensive lineman Eric Douglas were waived as rookies (White didn’t play in 2022 but was signed this offseason). Kicker Elliott Fry also was released earlier this offseason with an injury settlement from the Denver Broncos.
The Carolina Panthers went from being the NFL team with the most Gamecock representation (6 players) to having just 2 former South Carolina football players on the team.
Now, the Dallas Cowboys boast the most former Gamecocks as cornerback Stephon Gilmore, defensive back Israel Mukuamu, running back Rico Dowdle, and wide receiver Jalen Brooks all made the active 53-man roster for America’s Team.
14 teams in the NFL have at least one former Gamecock on the active 53-man roster, and there are a couple more free agents (like EDGE Melvin Ingram) who still could be in line to sign a contract.