Shawn Elliott praises Brady Hunt for work ethic, game knowledge
There’s a level of newness surrounding the South Carolina football team’s tight end room heading into the 2024 season.
The Gamecocks have had three different tight ends coaches since the turn of the calendar year. Jody Wright, who served as a the team’s tight ends coach last year, earned a head coaching job at Murray State. Justin Stepp moved over to tight ends once James Coley was hired as wide receivers coach. Following Stepp’s move to Illinois, Shane Beamer then decided to hire Shawn Elliott, who last coached for South Carolina in 2016.
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Elliott’s hire has not been the only change in the tight end room, though. Both Trey Knox and Kam Sandlin left the program to enter the NFL Draft and the transfer portal, respectively.
One of those roster vacancies has been filled by Brady Hunt, a redshirt junior transfer from Ball State. Elliott said that Hunt has impressed him in the brief time he has spent in garnet and black.
“He’s not going to wow you with athleticism. He’s a true, almost a prototypical tight end — big guy, end-line blocker,” Elliott said. “But I love everything about him.”
Hunt spent the first three years of his college career at Ball State before transferring to South Carolina this past offseason. A former high school quarterback, Hunt transitioned to tight end during his freshman year, taking a redshirt before erupting for 498 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 46 catches the following season.
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He was unable to replicate that success last year, however, after suffering an ankle injury that kept him off the field all season.
Despite this, Hunt has shown his experience and knowledge of the game just weeks into his South Carolina career, Elliott said.
“When you have a meeting, he’s all business.” Elliott said. “He understands concepts. He’s got great intelligence.”
Elliott also praised Hunt for the strong work ethic he has demonstrated during each of the team’s practices.
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“Football is important to Brady. He loves the game, he loves what it can do for him. He gives us everything he has every single rep,” Elliott said. “I don’t know if I’ve said a negative thing about Brady all year because he does a nice job of trying to get it right. And he typically gets it right.”
At this point in the spring, Elliott has observed the talent and skill present in South Carolina’s tight end room through 10 practices. That small sample size has Elliott excited for what is to come in the fall.
“I think we got a great group. We can communicate real well. We have a fantastic time in the meeting room. Our time on the field’s not enough,” Elliott said. “It’s been everything I wanted to be, or needed to be, and more. I just hope they feel the same way.”
