Seniors reflect on their time at South Carolina as senior day creeps up on them
Saturday’s home game at Williams-Brice Stadium will be a bittersweet day for South Carolina’s seniors. The Gamecocks will face Wofford in what will be the final home game for many players as their time as a student-athlete at USC wraps up.
Redshirt senior linebacker Debo Williams has spent four years with the team after transferring from Delaware in the spring of 2021. For Williams, the thought of this being his last home game crept up on him.
“I haven’t thought about it until literally probably 10 minutes ago,” Williams said on Tuesday. “One of my teammates came up to me and said it and I was like, ‘Thanks for telling me that.’ I wasn’t even thinking about it.”
Williams has been a major part of South Carolina’s defense for the better part of his career. He led the team in tackles last year with 113.
“It’s surreal,” Williams said. “A lot of memories in there and thing I could think about for the rest of my life. So it’s crazy.”
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Redshirt senior defensive tackle Alex Huntley, who is a Midlands native, has spent all five of his collegiate seasons with the Gamecocks. Additionally, Huntley has recorded 76 total tackles over that time.
Altogether, the realization has slowly sunk in for him before his last home game.
“It’s crazy to think about,” Huntley said. “I was just thinking about it as I walked up here. Time flew, too many great memories and trying to make one more and just finish with a bang.”
For Huntley, some games are more unforgettable than others. But South Carolina’s massive win over No. 5 Tennessee in 2022 will be the one he remembers for years to come.
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“One that stands out in Willy B, I’d probably say that Tennessee game,” Huntley said. “I mean that’s probably two on my all-time list.”
For senior running back Juju McDowell, this whole season has been a reflection of this four years as a Gamecock. McDowell has been at South Carolina for his entire career since 2021.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a reflection mode, per se,” McDowell said. “It’s kind of been like that all season. Just reflecting over the trials and tribulations we’ve had and the ups, of course, the downs. But more than anything reminiscing on the memories we’ve built together.”
Another Gamecock who has spent his entire collegiate career with South Carolina is fifth-year punter Kai Kroeger. As a Gamecock, Kroeger has made a huge impact on special teams being nominated in 2024 H. Boyd McWhorter Award.
“Coming here, to this university, meeting all the people I’ve met, it’s been unbelievable. I’m sure it’s going to hit me more on Saturday and I’ll definitely try not to get too emotional. But it’ll definitely hit me and if I could come back again I would,” Kroeger said. “But unfortunately, I can’t but it’s been nothing but amazing and I’ve loved my time here.”
