USC GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL A decade after USC career ended, Shaq Roland looks back as he finds new calling By Jordan Kaye February 11, 2025 7:30 AM|
During his South Carolina career, Shaq Roland caught 51 passes for over 800 yards and nine touchdowns. Jordan Kaye/The State Shaq Roland did not arrive at South Carolina as a recruit so much as an heir apparent. His destiny seemed a certainty, just as lineage passes from one generation to the next. The question was not if he was going to be great, but would he become an All-American as a wide receiver or a defensive back? And would he be great at just college football or both basketball and football?
Roland was a four-star prospect out of nearby Lexington High School, ranked as a Top-50 recruit in the Class of 2012 after a senior season that included 79 catches, over 1,500 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns. It was no surprise that he was named the state of South Carolina’s Mr. Football in 2011, just a few months before he’d sign with South Carolina.
That’s where the lineage began. Roland became the fourth-straight Mr. Football to sign with the Gamecocks. That’s a feat in itself, but the three guys who preceded Roland turned the honor into almost a declaration of greatness. South Pointe’s Stephon Gilmore (2008 Mr. Football), Byrnes’ Marcus Lattimore (2009) and South Pointe’s Jadeveon Clowney (2010) all became All-Americans wearing the garnet and black. So of course Roland was going to be great, too. And of course the Gamecocks were going to continue to be great. “South Carolina has been on the rise and I want to be a part of it,” Roland said after winning the Mr. Football Award. “I hope I can help them win a conference championship and even a national championship.”
Just over 13 years later, Roland was standing on the football field of Brookland-Cayce High — having just wrapped up a football camp and teaching a bunch of youngsters — thinking about what advice he would have given to his 18-year-old self. There has to be something someone could have told him about handling the hype and the pressure and the expectations. Right? He thinks for a second, then offers perhaps the most honest and reflective answer possible. “I don’t think nobody could have told me (anything),” Roland said. “Like if you were the person going through it, you could only tell me your experience. You can’t tell me how I’m going to react to the hype.” Where things went wrong Forgive Roland for coming to South Carolina native. High school football wasn’t hard for him.
He did not need to outwork everyone. He did not need to watch as much film as everyone else. He just had to make sure he put his pads on — because once he did that, the athleticism took over. “Shaq was the most talented receiver I ever played with,” said quarterback Perry Orth, who was at USC from 2013-16. “Shaq was just crazy gifted.” Imagine going through high school doing things a certain way and not just being rewarded for it, but praised because it made you an Under Armour All-American and Mr. Football and a USC Gamecocks signee? Why would you change in college? You wouldn’t. The problems arose quickly.
When he first arrived at South Carolina, fellow receivers Bruce Ellington and Ace Sanders were teaching him the basics of football. “(They) taught me how to run routes and play receiver,” Roland said. “I thought I could just run around people. … I had no technique, no skill. I was just running by guys and going up and getting like, next level. That didn’t work. And I learned that early.” Roland’s saga was more like a soap opera. It seemed there was always conflict, always drama. He caught just five passes as a freshman. He was more of a factor as a sophomore, but even his improvements were overshadowed by a three-game suspension for breaking team rules. He had fewer yards as a junior and, again missed a game — this time for showing up late to meetings ahead of a trip to Kentucky. “It just couldn’t click,” Orth said. “He’d be the first to tell you: I think he had some friends from high school who weren’t leading him down the right path and he got himself in some trouble.”
The 2014 regular season ended with a loss to Clemson in late November. Less than a month later, Roland quit the team. “When stuff went wrong, I may get down,” Roland said. “And my play reflected that. If I would have just stayed even-keeled, then I would’ve been ready for the next level.” Even after he left South Carolina following the 2014 season, his journey continued with twists and turns. He went to Prairie View A&M in Texas, but “things didn’t go so well there,” his mom told The State, and he left before the season. So, he didn’t play football in 2015, deciding to just take classes at Winston-Salem State. Then it seemed like he might come back to South Carolina, but instead went to Division II West Georgia and had a solid season.
After month-long stints with the Chicago Bears (2018) and the Arena Football League’s Baltimore Brigade (2019), his football career was over. Shaq Roland finished three seasons with the Gamecocks with 56 catches for 891 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had 26 catches for 356 yards in 2014. Gerry Melendez [email protected] Roland’s new passion It’s been just over a decade since his South Carolina career concluded when then-coach Steve Spurrier told the media Roland “elected to drop out of school and maybe go pro,” just four days before the Independence Bowl.
If he had any bad blood with Spurrier or South Carolina, it’s gone. “Whatever went wrong, it was my fault,” Roland said. “That’s how I sum it up.” He admitted it was rough watching football for a while after his career ended but, in time, he was drawn back in. Over the past year, he’s been trying his hand at coaching — holding a two-day camp last summer and helping recently with Orth and former USC quarterback Stephen Garcia’s skills camp. “He’s fantastic,” Orth said of Roland, the coach. “He’s very articulate. He understands the game. He’s very descriptive in what he’s trying to get across.” After the camp in late January, Roland gained a crowd. A swath of the receivers he trained that night, who had worked with him for just three hours, stood around Roland, holding out their phone so they could get his number or Instagram. Roland in the process of starting what he’s calling Top Five Elite Training and, well, his clientele is already lining up. And perhaps those kids think they’re just lining up for some skills sessions, but surely they will garner advice, too. “They think, ‘Oh, you’re good? You’re gonna make it,’ ” Roland said. “Honestly, I was good. But I didn’t work as hard as I needed to and that was my downfall.”
Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/sports/col...-football/article299722549.html#storylink=cpy
During his South Carolina career, Shaq Roland caught 51 passes for over 800 yards and nine touchdowns. Jordan Kaye/The State Shaq Roland did not arrive at South Carolina as a recruit so much as an heir apparent. His destiny seemed a certainty, just as lineage passes from one generation to the next. The question was not if he was going to be great, but would he become an All-American as a wide receiver or a defensive back? And would he be great at just college football or both basketball and football?
Roland was a four-star prospect out of nearby Lexington High School, ranked as a Top-50 recruit in the Class of 2012 after a senior season that included 79 catches, over 1,500 receiving yards and 30 total touchdowns. It was no surprise that he was named the state of South Carolina’s Mr. Football in 2011, just a few months before he’d sign with South Carolina.
That’s where the lineage began. Roland became the fourth-straight Mr. Football to sign with the Gamecocks. That’s a feat in itself, but the three guys who preceded Roland turned the honor into almost a declaration of greatness. South Pointe’s Stephon Gilmore (2008 Mr. Football), Byrnes’ Marcus Lattimore (2009) and South Pointe’s Jadeveon Clowney (2010) all became All-Americans wearing the garnet and black. So of course Roland was going to be great, too. And of course the Gamecocks were going to continue to be great. “South Carolina has been on the rise and I want to be a part of it,” Roland said after winning the Mr. Football Award. “I hope I can help them win a conference championship and even a national championship.”
Just over 13 years later, Roland was standing on the football field of Brookland-Cayce High — having just wrapped up a football camp and teaching a bunch of youngsters — thinking about what advice he would have given to his 18-year-old self. There has to be something someone could have told him about handling the hype and the pressure and the expectations. Right? He thinks for a second, then offers perhaps the most honest and reflective answer possible. “I don’t think nobody could have told me (anything),” Roland said. “Like if you were the person going through it, you could only tell me your experience. You can’t tell me how I’m going to react to the hype.” Where things went wrong Forgive Roland for coming to South Carolina native. High school football wasn’t hard for him.
He did not need to outwork everyone. He did not need to watch as much film as everyone else. He just had to make sure he put his pads on — because once he did that, the athleticism took over. “Shaq was the most talented receiver I ever played with,” said quarterback Perry Orth, who was at USC from 2013-16. “Shaq was just crazy gifted.” Imagine going through high school doing things a certain way and not just being rewarded for it, but praised because it made you an Under Armour All-American and Mr. Football and a USC Gamecocks signee? Why would you change in college? You wouldn’t. The problems arose quickly.
When he first arrived at South Carolina, fellow receivers Bruce Ellington and Ace Sanders were teaching him the basics of football. “(They) taught me how to run routes and play receiver,” Roland said. “I thought I could just run around people. … I had no technique, no skill. I was just running by guys and going up and getting like, next level. That didn’t work. And I learned that early.” Roland’s saga was more like a soap opera. It seemed there was always conflict, always drama. He caught just five passes as a freshman. He was more of a factor as a sophomore, but even his improvements were overshadowed by a three-game suspension for breaking team rules. He had fewer yards as a junior and, again missed a game — this time for showing up late to meetings ahead of a trip to Kentucky. “It just couldn’t click,” Orth said. “He’d be the first to tell you: I think he had some friends from high school who weren’t leading him down the right path and he got himself in some trouble.”
The 2014 regular season ended with a loss to Clemson in late November. Less than a month later, Roland quit the team. “When stuff went wrong, I may get down,” Roland said. “And my play reflected that. If I would have just stayed even-keeled, then I would’ve been ready for the next level.” Even after he left South Carolina following the 2014 season, his journey continued with twists and turns. He went to Prairie View A&M in Texas, but “things didn’t go so well there,” his mom told The State, and he left before the season. So, he didn’t play football in 2015, deciding to just take classes at Winston-Salem State. Then it seemed like he might come back to South Carolina, but instead went to Division II West Georgia and had a solid season.
After month-long stints with the Chicago Bears (2018) and the Arena Football League’s Baltimore Brigade (2019), his football career was over. Shaq Roland finished three seasons with the Gamecocks with 56 catches for 891 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had 26 catches for 356 yards in 2014. Gerry Melendez [email protected] Roland’s new passion It’s been just over a decade since his South Carolina career concluded when then-coach Steve Spurrier told the media Roland “elected to drop out of school and maybe go pro,” just four days before the Independence Bowl.
If he had any bad blood with Spurrier or South Carolina, it’s gone. “Whatever went wrong, it was my fault,” Roland said. “That’s how I sum it up.” He admitted it was rough watching football for a while after his career ended but, in time, he was drawn back in. Over the past year, he’s been trying his hand at coaching — holding a two-day camp last summer and helping recently with Orth and former USC quarterback Stephen Garcia’s skills camp. “He’s fantastic,” Orth said of Roland, the coach. “He’s very articulate. He understands the game. He’s very descriptive in what he’s trying to get across.” After the camp in late January, Roland gained a crowd. A swath of the receivers he trained that night, who had worked with him for just three hours, stood around Roland, holding out their phone so they could get his number or Instagram. Roland in the process of starting what he’s calling Top Five Elite Training and, well, his clientele is already lining up. And perhaps those kids think they’re just lining up for some skills sessions, but surely they will garner advice, too. “They think, ‘Oh, you’re good? You’re gonna make it,’ ” Roland said. “Honestly, I was good. But I didn’t work as hard as I needed to and that was my downfall.”
Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/sports/col...-football/article299722549.html#storylink=cpy
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