Shane Beamer reveals Corey Rucker's status for Saturday, addresses potential redshirt

South Carolina wide receiver Corey Rucker has dealt with injuries this season, appearing in two games after transferring from Arkansas State this offseason. As the junior continues to miss valuable reps through the middle of the season, questions have started to rise about the possibility of a redshirt season which would add another year to his eligibility for future use.

Before getting into the details of his status, Shane Beamer discussed the injury recovery of Corey Rucker and his teammates during a recent press conference.

“Corey Rucker won’t play, but other than that, everybody else is in great shape,” said Beamer. “Terrell Dawkins practiced today, again, and is getting closer and closer to playing.”

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While everyone else appears to be on the mend ahead of South Carolina’s game against Missouri, the continued absence of Rucker only heightens the importance of the redshirt conversation.

“Potentially,” said Beamer, responding to the idea of a redshirt. “It’s probably trending in that direction for where whenever he gets healthy – if he’s able to get healthy this season – it’s probably going to be to the point where you could play in the season and preserve some games. So it’s kind of a day-to-day thing with him. But as each week goes by, yeah I’d say that’s getting more and more likely.”

Over his two collegiate stops, Rucker has posted 76 catches for 1,331 yards and 15 touchdowns, with his only catch as a Gamecock ending in the endzone. Thanks to current NCAA rules, he can play in as many as four total games while preserving a redshirt and could get another season of eligibility added after thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic rules.

More about Corey Rucker injury

The injury Corey Rucker continues to deal with dates back to the offseason and has kept him out of action in multiple stints now after attempted comebacks. His left foot is where the issues stem from, making it difficult to pin down an exact return timeline as setbacks appear.

If he were to redshirt, Rucker would return next season after giving the injury plenty more time to heal and promise to be a featured part of the offense. While he made an immediate impact in just two snaps so far in year one under Beamer and his staff, the talented wide receiver could be set up for a breakout year in 2023 regardless of his injury troubles the rest of this season.