Looking at which former Gamecocks could have their football jersey retired next

Jersey retirements are meant to be special. They don’t happen all the time. Otherwise, it would lose its charm and importance.

At South Carolina, only seven players have their football jersey retired. Alshon Jeffery became the latest to join that club last Saturday. Jadeveon Clowney saw his jersey retired one year prior. Before him, South Carolina hadn’t retired a single jersey for 34 years.

So that begs the question: who will be next? There are some former Gamecocks who have enough accolades to deserve such recognition. But there’s certain criteria that are considered:

• University record holder
• A consensus All-American
• A consensus National Player of the Year (Naismith, Wooden, Heisman, Outland, Golden Spikes)
• An Olympic medalist while a student at USC
• An All-SEC 1st or 2nd team for three years

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. I only believe the best of the best players should have their jersey retired. It should be like the hall of fame, not the hall of great. So here are some Gamecocks who I think deserve to have their jersey retired at Williams-Brice Stadium in the future.

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Connor Shaw

This almost feels like an obvious choice. Connor Shaw was one of the best to ever do it for the Gamecocks. He’s the winningest quarterback in program history at 27-5 and never lost a game at home, going 17-0.

During his four years, Shaw completed 65.5 percent of his passes for 56 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He was a key part in why South Carolina won 11 games for three straight seasons. He leads all players in total touchdowns with 73.

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Del Wilkes

There have been four Consensus All-Americans in South Carolina football history. Two of them have had their jersey retired. The ones who haven’t? Melvin Ingram and Del Wilkes.

Wilkes, heavily recruited from nearby Irmo High School, played on South Carolina’s offensive line in the mid-1980s. He boosted an offensive line in 1984 that helped set school records for touchdowns (49), points (371) and total offense (5,095 yards).

That year, the Gamecocks finished 10-2, losing to Oklahoma State in the Gator Bowl. They finished No. 11 in the AP Poll. It was a great year sandwiched between a pair of five-win seasons.

Wilkes passed away at 59 in 2021 of a heart attack. So it’s too late to honor him in person. However, it feels like an All-American player from one of the program’s best teams should be recognized at some point.

Marcus Lattimore

Has South Carolina ever had a more special talent at running back? When Marcus Lattimore was on the field, good things happened. He was a true playmaker.

As a freshman, Lattimore ran for 1,197 yards and 17 touchdowns, which is a single-season record. He also had 412 yards and two touchdowns as a pass-catcher in 2010.

Over the next two years, Lattimore had 1,835 all-purpose yards and 22 touchdowns. His 38 rushing touchdowns are the most amongst all Gamecock running backs. He checks in at No. 6 for rushing yards in his career with 2,677.

Multiple injuries to his knee ultimately impacted his college career and took him out of action. But he definitely has done more than enough to be considered for this honor.

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Steve Taneyhill

Unlike Shaw, Steve Taneyhill never had the big winning seasons as a Gamecock quarterback. He only won, at most, seven games in a season back in 1994.

However, there’s no denying how good of a player he was. Taneyhill, a four-year starter, burst onto the scene in 1992. After starting 0-5, he took over as the starting quarterback and helped the Gamecocks win five of their next six games, including a win against Clemson in Death Valley.

Taneyhill went on to have a great career, throwing for 8,782 yards and 61 touchdowns, the most in program history. He also has the single-season record for passing touchdowns, throwing 29 in 1995. He’s second to Todd Ellis in career passing yards.

Some of his losing seasons might be a knock against him. But if we’re judging based on what he did as a player, then he should be considered. The numbers are more than good enough.

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