Alshon Jeffery speaks during jersey retirement vs. Mississippi State
Saturday night was a special moment for former South Carolina football legend Alshon Jeffery, one of the greatest players ever to suit up in Columbia. He had his jersey retired at halftime of the Mississippi State game. The dominant wide receiver took a few minutes to speak with the crowd during the ceremony. His name will now be in Williams-Brice Stadium forever.
Check out the video of the ceremony below.
Alshon Jeffery was one of the all-time greats
“Alshon Jeffery is one of the best players in Gamecock football history and is deserving of having his jersey retired,” South Carolina athletics director Ray Tanner said in a press release. “Alshon set the standard at his position in a program that has developed a number of great wide receivers in its history.”
Jeffery burst onto the scene midway through his freshman season with a three-touchdown outing against Kentucky.
By the time his freshman year had ended he had tallied 46 catches for 763 yards and six touchdowns. He was named a consensus Freshman All-SEC selection and a first-team Freshman All-American.
And Jeffery was just getting started.
He led the SEC in receiving as a sophomore for the South Carolina football team, notching 88 catches for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns. That performance earned him All-American honors, as well as All-SEC honors. He was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, given annually to the nation’s best receiver.
His junior year was also strong, with Jeffery logging 49 catches for 762 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned Capital One Bowl MVP honors after going for 148 yards and a touchdown in a win over Nebraska.
When Jeffery’s three-year career had ended with South Carolina football, he had accounted for 183 catches for 3,042 yards and 23 touchdowns.
He went on to become a second-round NFL Draft pick by the Chicago Bears in 2012 and had a nine-year NFL career. Jeffery made the Pro Bowl in 2013 and won a Super Bowl with Philadelphia.
Jeffery will be the sixth player with his jersey retired in South Carolina football history. He joins Jadeveon Clowney (#7), Sterling Sharpe (#2), Steve Wadiak (#37), George Rogers (#38) and Mike Johnson (#56). South Carolina retires jerseys but does not retire numbers.
“One of the priorities for our department is recognizing and honoring the great accomplishments in our history,” Tanner said. “We have so much to celebrate, and we will continue to honor our great players, coaches and teams.”
On3 Staff Reports also contributed to this article.