Florence connection unites Sellers brothers, Kelvin Hunter at South Carolina

Oct. 28, 2022, saw then-Syracuse commit LaNorris Sellers walk out on Senior Night for South Florence High School. After being escorted by his parents, Norris Sellers and Cheryl Floyd, to midfield, he joined his brother, Jayden Sellers, on the sideline.

Meanwhile, on the opposing sideline for rival West Florence High School was South Carolina prospect Kelvin Hunter. Hunter’s game plan that night was to watch Sellers from the box and limit his ability to scramble.

Though the highly anticipated game featured two of the state’s top three schools, it wasn’t the greatest evening for Hunter and West Florence. Despite West Florence taking an early 7-0 lead, a rushing touchdown from LaNorris opened the floodgates for South Florence, cruising to a 45-14 win.

“It’s just crazy to see him doing the same thing in high school and here now,” Hunter told GamecockCentral. “Honestly, just wild. Especially playing with him growing up in rec ball, middle school, it’s just crazy to see.”

Now, the trio of Florence, SC natives adorn the garnet and black for the Gamecocks, just over 80 miles from home.

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“We still talk about high school,” LaNorris said. “Even with Kelvin, like we talk with him about the game my senior year. But it’s just good, I mean, you’re on a bigger stage now. But we’ve been doing it since we were younger, so it’s like nothing new.”

Jayden self-admittedly did not do much in that game, catching only a few passes. Then, in his junior year, he tore his ACL, preventing him from matching up again with Hunter. However, he remembers the 2022 game well, as well as the talent Hunter showcased.

“I didn’t really get a lot of catches that game because he was really in a box just focusing on LaNorris,” Jayden said. “But watching him play was crazy because he’s a dog on the other side of the field.”

LaNorris said he was focused on West Florence’s defense as a whole heading into that game.

“(Hunter) was a guy who they trusted a lot. It was either him or Frank Emerson that they tried to get into open gaps so they could see whatever was going on in the backfield,” LaNorris said. “Pretty much try to run, but you can’t run away from them, so we just really had to go at them.”

Hunter received few chances to showcase his talent in his freshman season with South Carolina. The defensive back appeared in only three games as a true freshman, earning him a redshirt. However, across those three games, Hunter racked up six tackles, including one tackle for loss.

LaNorris enters his second year as the Gamecocks’ starting quarterback on the back of an FWAA Offensive Freshman of the Year campaign. Jayden, on the other hand, prepares himself for his true freshman year.

Hunter said there was some level of excitement to see his fellow Florence native join the Gamecocks.

“It’s crazy to see how far we’ve come from back then, so it’s really just surreal,” Hunter said. “It’s not normal for people back home to make it big, so it’s great to see everybody make it out.”

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