How Trey Knox has found his voice as a leader since coming to South Carolina

Trey Knox has only been on the roster at South Carolina for a few months, but he has already turned into one of the leaders for the Gamecocks on offense.

While Knox is new to South Carolina, he isn’t new to college football or the SEC.

The Tennessee native is entering his fifth season of college football after spending the previous four years at Arkansas. He has played in 45 games so far in his college career.

Knox transferred to South Carolina this offseason after catching 26 passes for 296 yards and five touchdowns in 2022. He started all 12 games in which he appeared in for the Razorbacks.

“The guys look to me when they need anything said, and I take that not lightly at all,” Knox said following the spring game. “I’ve been playing this game, in this conference, for a lot of years. I’ve seen some things and done some things that weren’t very good or done some things that were very good. And I just want to pass that along, because I don’t want them to struggle like I did. If they can skip those struggles and have successes, then that’s great.”

Knox is playing for a coach he is familiar with at South Carolina in new Gamecocks offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains.

Loggains was hired as the OC at South Carolina this offseason after spending the previous two years as the tight ends coach at Arkansas.

Loggains previously spent 16 seasons coaching in the NFL, including seven as an offensive coordinator.

Knox is doing his best to help the other South Carolina tight ends adjust to playing for Loggains.

“I want to make plays, but we’re only as good as the guys behind me that make plays. And we want to be the best room possible,” Knox said. “So I take that full stride and just want to teach these guys everything that I know and that I’ve learned … especially coming from coach [Dowell] Loggains and how he coaches. Just telling them like, ‘Hey, he doesn’t like this’ or ‘he likes this.’ Just to keep them on the good side.”

Trey Knox details first impressions of playing in Williams-Brice Stadium

Knox played in some high-profile SEC venues during his time at Arkansas, but he came away surprisingly impressed by his home debut at South Carolina after transferring in this spring.

The Gamecocks had some 51,000 fans in attendance to watch the unofficial start of the program’s third season under the direction of head coach Shane Beamer, and it’s clear there’s some serious excitement in the air.

The start of the spring game felt a little like a rock concert.

“First things first, those lights are the real deal. I just wanted that injected into my veins. Then hearing Sandstorm in here for the first time, it just did something to me,” Knox said. “I’m very excited to be in here come September. The fans are rowdy. I mean they showed up and showed out for a spring game, and you don’t see that a lot of places. So I’m just glad that I’m a part of a fanbase that cares and wants to see the Gamecocks win.”