Gamecocks looking to fill role of former star player
When redshirt freshman wide receiver Shamier Jeffery was told of his older brother’s decision to leave for the NFL Draft and forgo his senior season, he was initially surprised by the decision.
“He told me he was going to stay,” Jeffery said. “When he left, I was like oh, well have fun. I guess it’s my turn now.”
The departure of star wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has not only opened the door for his little brother, but the receiving corps as a whole, as the Gamecocks will look to fill the hole his absence creates.
Even though his production dropped from his freshman and sophomore seasons, Alshon Jeffery is the school’s all-time leader in receiving yards with 3,042. He was named the MVP of the Capital One Bowl, his final game as a Gamecock, after tallying 148 yards in the win, despite missing most of the second half with a suspension.
Junior quarterback Connor Shaw said he’s had chemistry with all of the receivers, but his top returning target is junior Ace Sanders, who was second in receiving to Alshon Jeffery by 379 yards.
Though Sanders said he kind of looks at this season as a break out one for himself, he said he’s “more of a team guy, so as long as we’re winning, I’m cool.” He does think that without Alshon Jeffery, the group has gotten better to compensate for his natural ability.
“You don’t always have that outlet to just throw that jump ball and him make a play,” Sanders said. “We actually just got to make sure everything gets clear. We’ve got to run better routes, get open, catch the ball and find new leaders that will step up and take his place. It’s brought out competition in all of the team.”
Sanders said that the whole team looked at the news of Alshon Jeffery’s departure as an opportunity for someone to step up, since the role would be open. For Sanders, he said he’s gotten faster getting in and out of his cuts on a route. Shamier Jeffery said that he was able to work with his older brother to get better, but he’s gotten more familiar with the playbook, though “it’s still kind of confusing.”
“I watched him last year and what he could do, so it’s my turn to show what I can do this year,” Shamier Jeffery said. “He didn’t really talk to me about stepping into his place, but he told me to work hard and to work on my cuts and cones and get faster and stronger.”
The most evident improvement has been out of K.J. Brent, who has moved from the outside wide receiver position to the slot, which requires reading more coverages, though there are less routes. He’s still working on his strength, but USC coach Steve Spurrier said he will play this year.
In the Gamecocks’ first scrimmage of the spring, Brent had the first score of the game, a diving 34-yard catch from Shaw. But is he the next Alshon Jeffery?
“I’m trying to be the next K.J., I guess,” Brent said.
Sophomore wide receiver Damiere Byrd and Shamier Jeffery did not play in the scrimmage, as Byrd had a track meet and Shamier Jeffery tweaked his knee in practice. Byrd played in nine games last season.
While Brent and Shamier Jeffery will work to rise on the depth chart, junior DeAngelo Smith sits squarely at the top after being behind Alshon Jeffery for the past two seasons. Last spring, he made the most improvement of any player, earning him the Player of the Spring award. Wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said the position is Smith’s to lose, though with the staple of wide receivers that the Gamecocks currently have, as well as incoming freshmen, like the highly tauted Shaq Roland, coming to campus, the position is as open as it’s been in three years.
While Alshon Jeffery isn’t coming back, his presence on the sideline of the scrimmage in street clothes was still felt.
“It was different because I’ve only been here one year and he’s been on the field every time,” Brent said. “It was good to see him back with us. It is a reminder that he’s gone and [Jason Barnes] is gone, so we’re all trying to compete every day.”