Ryan Succop ranked 13th in 107.5 The Game's Top 30 Gamecocks
In honor of the 30th South Carolina football season in the SEC, 107.5 The Game will be ranking the top 30 players in program history. Former kicker Ryan Succop was next to join the list, coming in at No. 13 on Friday.
Succop played both football and soccer at Hickory High School in Hickory, North Carolina. On the pitch, he was a three-time all-state selection and scored 104 career goals. On the gridiron, Succop amassed even more success, as he was rated the fourth-best kicker and sixteenth-best prospect in North Carolina by Rivals. He made all-conference four times and all-state twice during his career. He was also a three-time conference special teams Player of the Year.
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Following his high school days, Succop committed to South Carolina, who was coming off a 6-5 season under Lou Holtz. However, Holtz announced his retirement, clearing the way for Steve Spurrier to take over as head coach in 2005.
While Spurrier was known for being a quarterback, he punted as well, something Succop admired.
“We’d always kick field goals at the beginning of practice and I remember my later years there, he’d always love to come out and watch field goal period. Most of the time he’d come out there with his shirt off if the weather was good cause he was trying to get a little sun,” Succop told 107.5 The Game. “And I just remember he’d be standing behind, kicking field goals, and he’d be chirping the whole field goal period. If we were kicking seven or eight balls, if I ever missed one he’d get a little chuckle and go, ‘See, there you go, I got you this one.'”
As a freshman in 2005, Succop was the kickoff specialist and backup placekicker behind Josh Brown. He kicked off 59 times and averaged 62.3 yards with 29 touchbacks. He had two field goal attempts and missed both of them.
Heading into the next season, Brown moved onto the next phase of his life, meaning Succop would have the chance to take over. He learned he’d not only be taking over kicking duties, but punting duties as well.
“I remember my sophomore year, before that season started, they came to me and said, ‘Hey, you’re probably going to be doing it all,'” Succop said. “That was kind of fun. I was excited to be able to do it and get to kick off, punt, kick field goals, do all that for a few years, especially in the SEC I thought was pretty neat.”
Right out of the gate, Succop got off to a fantastic start. In a week one matchup against Mississippi State, he knocked in three field goals and averaged 50 yards on five punts. He was also the team’s leading rusher midway through the third quarter after converting a botched punt for a first down with a 16-yard run. Succop received SEC Special Teams Player of the Week for these efforts.
From there, his successes carried throughout the rest of the season. Succop made 16-of-20 field goals and 37-of-39 extra point attempts. He also averaged 43.7 yards on 29 punts. He scored 85 points in 2006, the third-highest single-season total in school history.
In 2007, Succop saw his name mentioned amongst many awards. He earned first-team SEC preseason honors as a placekicker and was an honorable mention for the All-SEC team. He went 13-for-17 in field goal tries, earning SEC Special Teams Player of the Week honors once again that year. From that season on, he never missed another extra point attempt in his college career.
2008 would be Succop’s final season as a Gamecock. His field goal percentage crept down to 66.7%, but he accumulated 90 points, the most in his career.
By the end of his career, Succop had 251 career points, tenth-most in school history.
In the 2009 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted Succop with the final pick, making him the next “Mr. Irrelevant.”
While he may been overlooked, Succop has certainly put together a great professional career. In 13 seasons with the Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he’s made 289-of-348 field goals. During that first season, he had the highest field goal percentage by a rookie kicker (86.2%). In 2021, Succop helped the Buccaneers win the Super Bowl, becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to play and win it as a starter and active player.
Looking back on his college days, Succop was one of the first to set the standard for South Carolina football kickers.
“There’s been a lot of great guys that have come through. It’s been fun cheering them on from afar and seeing those guys have so much success,” Succop said.
