With 24 days until South Carolina football kicks off 2025 season, a look back at No. 24, Bobby Bryant

South Carolina football will take the field for the first time in the 2025 season on August 31st when the Gamecocks take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That means kickoff is just 24 days away.

Some of the best players in program history wore No. 24. This countdown story easily could be about Sheldon Brown, arguably the best cornerback to ever play in garnet and black. Instead, we will take a look at one of the most underrated Gamecocks of all time, fellow cornerback Bobby Bryant.

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Nicknamed “Bones” for his thin frame, Bryant played two sports at South Carolina and was a standout in both.

As a pitcher for the Gamecock baseball team, Bryant became the first player to register 100 strikeouts in a season and once pitched a 13-inning, 1-0 complete game shutout. Bryant’s 16 strikeouts in that game are second-most in team history. He also batted over .300 one season while bunting almost every at-bat thanks to a broken arm.

For the 1966-1967 school year, the ACC named Bryant the Conference Athlete of the Year for his elite performances on the gridiron and the diamond. On the football field for head coaches Marvin Bass and Paul Dietzel, Bryant was an All-American who excelled in coverage and as a return man. He also played occasionally on offense at receiver and running back.

During his senior season, Bryant returned a punt 98 yards for a touchdown against NC State. The play remains the longest punt return by a Gamecock. The South Carolina captain finished his days in Columbia as one of the greatest defenders and special teams contributors ever.

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Following his selection in the seventh round of the 1967 NFL Draft, Bryant missed that fall with an injury. However, when he became a rookie in 1968, he was a key reserve for the Minnesota Vikings. When he stepped into the starting lineup in year two, Bryant stayed there for the rest of his 14-year career. He was the longest-tenured NFL Gamecock ever until John Abraham and Johnathan Joseph each played 15 seasons.

Bryant was a Pro Bowler and All-Pro for the “Purple People Eaters” defense, helping lead the Vikings to four Super Bowl appearances. Parterning with safety Paul Krause, Minnesota had one of the best corner-safety combos in the NFL. Though Bryant has been unjustly left out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he is a member of the Minnesota Vikings Ring of Honor, owning the second-most interception in the franchise’s history.

The University of South Carolina inducted Bryant into the USC Lettermen’s Hall of Fame in 1979. The South Carolina Football Hall of Fame followed suit in 2019.

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