South Carolina football fans loved watching Deebo Samuel play in garnet and black. The dynamic playmaker was a threat anytime he touched the ball.
As the top receiver for the Gamecocks, Samuel finished his career in Columbia as 1 of just 11 players to put up over 2000 receiving yards as part of the South Carolina football program. Had it not been for some injuries, Deebo Samuel would have been one of the three or four best receivers to ever play for the Gamecocks.
On special teams, he is USC’s all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns (4) and kickoff return average (29.0 yards per return). He was also an elite gunner on punt coverage, routinely downing punts inside the 20-yard line and once recovering a fumble under the pile on a muffed kick.
He also was a major ball-carrying threat, scoring 7 touchdowns on the ground in 25 career carries from jet sweeps and out of the backfield.
The Chapman High School alum went 1-1 as a passer at USC, as well, a 33-yard touchdown strike to fellow all-time great Gamecock receiver Bryan Edwards.
Samuel’s multi-faceted playmaking ability followed him into the NFL. After being a 2nd-round pick of the San Francisco 49ers, he has become a Pro Bowler and is closing in on the all-time rushing touchdown record for wide receivers.
After spending much of this week in a trash talk battle with the Philadelphia Eagles’ secondary, he showed off his versatility on Sunday when his 49ers put a beatdown on the Eagles.
In a 42-19 shellacking of the team with the NFL’s best record, the 49ers looked dominant, and their best player on offense was Deebo Samuel.
In the game, Samuel racked up almost 140 yards of offense and 3 touchdowns, despite just touching the ball 7 times. He averaged 19.7 yards per touch, and his two 3rd-quarter touchdowns were the scores that squeezed the life out of the Eagle’s comeback hopes. A 12-yard rushing score put SF up 21-6, and after Philly cut the lead to just one score, he had a very impressive 48-yard catch-and-run to put his team up 28-13.
this single play describes Deebo Samuel's game perfectly
— Josh Norris (@JoshNorris) December 4, 2023
the power to shrug off an immediate LB tackle
the speed to keep DBs away pic.twitter.com/sJuJEMZP9g
The former South Carolina football legend is well on his way to another Pro Bowl nod this season. Despite missing 3 games with injury, he is on pace for over 1000 yards of offense and double-digit touchdowns. The 49ers are also one of three real Super Bowl contenders in the NFC.