Alshon Jeffery Looks Back On Career, Ahead At Jersey Retirement
For the second straight season in a row, a Gamecock great from the Steve Spurrier era is being honored by South Carolina's Football program. Last year, it was former consensus All-American and No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney. Later tonight, when the Gamecocks take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs, it'll be former All-American wide receiver and Biletnikoff Award finalist Alshon Jeffery, who will see his name and number join an elite group of just five former South Carolina stars who have seen their jersey or jersey number retired.
On Friday afternoon, Alshon Jeffery was made available to the media to discuss the honor and started by recalling how then-Gamecock assistant coach Shane Beamer let the Palmetto State native know that staying home would reward him in the long run.
"Coach Beamer and I already talked about it; I think y'all are already aware of the story that I was committed to Southern Cal' at first, and Coach Beamer just stuck with me throughout the process and always just told me that South Carolina was gonna be a special place for me if I work hard," Jeffery recalled. "Looking back at it, like he said, it comes full circle, and my name is going up on the stadium like that's amazing."
In terms of his favorite on-field moment, the Calhoun County High School legend picked the 2010 upset win over then No. 1 Alabama as his favorite game, and his memorable one-handed catch on Dre Kirkpatrick from the same game, as his favorite in-game moment as a Gamecock. When asked what his emotions would be on Saturday night, Alshon simply stated, "I don't know. Imma try not to cry. Imma say that. If it happens, it happens."
When looking back on his legendary college career, Jeffery conveyed that he wished he could've helped the team reach even greater heights than they did during Spurrier's run between 2010-2013, but at the end of the day, he's satisfied with his effort and the impression he left on the people who met him.
"I gave it all I got on the field. I wish I could have won a national championship, [a] couple of SEC championships - Outside of football, I really enjoyed my time," he explained. "I feel like I was a great person to everyone."
You Might Also Like:
- O'Mega Blake's Breakout Performance Could Propel Him To Future Success
- Three Offensive Players To Watch: Mississippi State
- WATCH: Stephen A. Smith Takes A Subtle Shot At South Carolina
Join the community:
- Follow Andrew Lyon on Twitter: @ALyon_SC
- Follow Joseph Griffin on Twitter: @JosephGriffinJG
- Follow Fisher Brewer on Twitter: @USCTalk
- Follow Locked On Gamecocks on Youtube or wherever you get your podcasts
You can follow us for future coverage by clicking "Follow" on the top right-hand corner of the page. Also, be sure to follow us on Twitter at @GamecocksDigest.