Xavier Legette opens up on what it's like sitting behind Alshon Jeffery in South Carolina history

Xavier Legette was on the edge of history, and he didn’t even know it. After tallying six receptions for 94 yards and two touchdowns in South Carolina’s 17-14 win over Kentucky, Legette is now second in single-season receiving yards in program history, trailing only Alshon Jeffery. After the game, Legette weighed in on the accomplishment.

“I really didn’t even know that, for real,” Legette said. “That’s a wonderful feeling though, man. The opportunities that I had this year, that’s what led up to it.”

Legette boasts 65 catches for 1,187 yards and seven touchdowns this season. His 1,187 receiving yards are the seventh-most in the country. LSU’s Malik Nabers leads the nation with 1,424 receiving yards in the 2023 campaign.

Barring a miracle, Legette will not usurp Jeffery’s throne atop South Carolina’s receiving history. In 2010, Jeffery hauled in 88 catches totaling 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns, including eight games with 100 yards or more receiving.

Xavier Legette’s path to history

Sitting at 5-6, South Carolina is only guaranteed one more game, and it won’t be an easy one. On Saturday, the Gamecocks will face off against in-state rival Clemson. The Tigers are dangerous, defeating two AP Top 25 opponents in the past three games.

Even if South Carolina defeats Clemson and, consequently, reaches a bowl game, Legette would have to tally 331 receiving yards in back-to-back games to break Jeffery’s record. It would be a difficult feat, but not impossible.

Legette tallied a combined 338 yards in back-to-back games against Vanderbilt and Jacksonville State. Of course, Clemson and South Carolina’s hypothetical bowl opponent will be far more imposing foes. Whether or not Legette makes history, head coach Shane Beamer is happy to have him on the team.

“We’re asking a lot of him,” Beamer said earlier this month. “He’s not lining up in the same place every time because we’re not just going to say he’s always the X receiver or he’s always the Z receiver, or he’s always going to be on the left or right or to the field or to the boundary, because obviously if teams know that they’re going to be able to roll coverage to him and things like that. So he does a lot.

“He’s a great teammate, works hard and just how intelligent he is from a football standpoint, like he just, he gets it and things just make sense to him.”

On Saturday, South Carolina will square off against Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on the SEC Network.