Shane Beamer still looking for South Carolina's next return specialists in 2025
Since 2010, South Carolina has produced a growing list of exciting kick and punt returners. From Ace Sanders to Xavier Legette, many have sent Williams-Brice Stadium into uproar as they walked into the endzone before the offense could even touch the ball.
Shane Beamer is looking for the next player he can add to that list in 2025.
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“It’s two positions that are really wide open,” Beamer said while in Rock Hill for the 2025 Welcome Home Tour.
South Carolina’s leading kick and punt returner in 2024, Juju McDowell, departed from the team after graduating. In 13 games, McDowell returned 14 punts for 60 yards and 14 kickoffs for 257 yards. McDowell’s numbers ranked the senior eighth in the SEC in kick return yards.
The Gamecocks took a minor step back from 2023 in their total kick return yardage. South Carolina as a whole fell from 352 to 302 total yards.
However, Jalon Kilgore is one returning player in the group that Beamer is thankful to have. Kilgore returned one punt in the 2024 season for 28 yards against Akron. In 2023, Kilgore returned nine punts for 49 total yards.
“He’s kind of the security blanket that you know you’ve got a guy that’s done it in games,” Beamer said. “But then there’s some young guys that have exciting potential back there. It’s just a matter of they haven’t done it in a game.”
Nyck Harbor and Jaquel Holman were names in Beamer’s mind of players who could field kicks for the Gamecocks. Beamer has also given many of his six freshmen receivers reps at the spot. Harbor also had experience in his freshman season returning kicks, returning two for 45 yards.
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“You name a freshman receiver, there’s a pretty good chance they’ve gone back there and received punts,” Beamer said.
The Gamecocks spent the beginning of their 2025 Garnet and Black Spring Game fielding kickoffs before starting the scrimmage. In those kicks, Beamer and his staff sent out many players, including freshmen Lex Cyrus and Holman, back deep to return.
Beamer said any player who was seen in the spring game returning kicks and punts is on the staff’s radar for the spots.
Special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis spent a lot of time in the spring narrowing down the list of potential returners, Beamer said. Beamer also hopes for closure at the spot sometime soon.
“We need to be better,” Beamer said. “But I’m excited about the potential back there at kick returner and punt returner.”
