Rick Sandidge taking medical hardship
Gamecock football defensive tackle Rick Sandidge is taking a medical hardship, effectively ending his career in the Garnet and Black, according to head coach Shane Beamer on Thursday.
Sandidge added on Twitter that he would be retiring from the game of football.
Sandidge was a quality acquisition for South Carolina on the recruiting trail out of Concord (North Carolina) in the 2018 recruiting class. The On3 Consensus, an equally weighted average that utilizes recruiting rankings from all major services, listed Sandidge as the 80th best prospect in the country in that cycle.
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Beamer broke the news on Sandidge to the media during the “Birdies with Beamer” media golf tournament. It was noted that the senior defensive lineman will not play during the 2022 season and that the North Carolina product is in a good place mentally. Medical hardship stipulations allow college football players to remain on scholarship and not count against the 85-person limit.
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Sandidge missed the entirety of the 2021 Gamecock football season, having sustained an ankle injury in the first preseason scrimmage.
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As a true freshman, Sandidge saw action in all 13 games for South Carolina, tallying 19 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and a half sack. He also was a First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll selection in 2018.
In 2019, the sophomore appeared in 12 contests for Gamecock football and accumulated 6 tackles after being named the Most Improved Player of the spring on the defensive side of the ball. The following season, Sandidge played in 9 games as a junior and registered five tackles, including his first career solo sack.
