South Carolina Football: Gamecock great returns to school

Back in February, South Carolina football alum Mike Davis retired from the NFL after 9 years in the league. He spent time with the San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens during his professional career.

Davis is one of the best running backs ever to play for the Gamecocks, and he had some nice moments in the NFL. His 2018, 2020, and 2021 seasons were his best in the league as he averaged just under 900 yards from scrimmage during those campaigns despite entering each season as the backup for three different teams (Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons).

After less than two months of retirement, Davis revealed that he had figured out his next step: he was going back to school. Just as he announced his retirement, Davis posted on Twitter/X about his plan to get his degree, saying that he had been accepted by the University of South Carolina once again as a student.

Along with many congratulations and well-wishes for Davis, a South Carolina football fan jokingly said that Davis should join Shane Beamer's football staff as a student assistant coach. Davis, though, showed some interest in that possibility.

If something like that were to materialize for Davis and his alma mater, he would have plenty of insight to share with the Gamecock running backs. The backup to Marcus Lattimore in 2012, Davis had to fill in after Lattimore's knee injury that season, and he became an All-SEC contributor the following season as he became a legend in garnet and black.

Davis was picked in the 4th round of the NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, the same team that had taken Lattimore two years earlier. He finished his South Carolina football career 8th all-time in rushing yards and 7th in program history in total yards from scrimmage. He is tied for 9th in total non-quarterback touchdowns.