Rocket Sanders shares he is not limited, feeling great early in South Carolina camp

Plenty of South Carolina Gamecocks football fans are eager to see one of their top acquisitions out of the transfer portal this offseason, running back Rocket Sanders, in action this season. Sanders has been dealing with a shoulder injury that has limited him during the Gamecocks’ fall camp.

On Tuesday, the South Carolina senior running back did his best to put fans and individuals interested in the program at ease by providing an update on how he has been feeling lately.

“I actually feel great,” said Sanders. “I’m not limited in no way. I mean, I’m ready to go, really. Going on the fourth practice feeling good [with] pads on and throwing my shoulder in there as well. I actually feel great.”

Sanders’ update helps South Carolina fans breathe a sigh of relief who are concerned with the overall health of his shoulder. While his return to padded practice has plenty of individuals excited, that was not the initial feeling for the Gamecocks running back. As he continued, Sanders detailed his mentality as he has worked to get back on the field and what has helped them progress in fall camp.

“The first day, I was probably nervous a little bit on the first day,” Sanders said. “But when I got going, it was pretty good on the first day. Then, when I threw pads on, I wasn’t even as nervous as I thought I would be. I feel like when it came down to getting back into routine, doing handoffs with the quarterbacks, and just getting back in that rhythm, that helped me out. We did a lot of stuff in the summer for me to be prepared for fall camp.”

Needless to say, plenty of individuals are eager to see Sanders in action for the Gamecocks. Earlier in the off-season, Sanders received a glowing review from star defensive lineman Alex Huntley. However, Huntley’s praise was more about the new South Carolina running backs’ impact on the offense and the team as a whole.

“Yeah, that’s a dude who came in the building [on] day one; you can see how much it means to him. His care factor is huge, and all he does is work,” said Huntley at SEC Football Media Days. “And I think it’s great for a lot of guys to see a guy who came in with [an] already big name, already [has] stats to his name, but he still didn’t miss a beat in workouts; he grinds. So, I love having him on the team. I’m glad he came.

Sanders joined South Carolina as a former First-Team All-SEC player who, in his last full season, rushed for 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2022. Last year was an injury-riddled season for Sanders, as he only appeared in six games for the Razorbacks. South Carolina fans are hoping that the injury bug does not follow him to Columbia, SC. So far, that doesn’t appear to be the case, as Sanders is looking more ready to go than ever for the start of the Gamecocks 2024 campaign.