Hayden Hurst named 24 in 107.5 the Game's top 30 Countdown
Former South Carolina football tight end “Garnet Thor”, Hayden Hurst was named 24 in 107.5 the Game’s top 30 Gamecocks during the SEC era.
Hurst’s story is one for the ages. He was one of the top pitching prospects out of Bolles high school in Jacksonville (FL) and had signed his letter of intent to play college baseball at Florida State. Then Pittsburgh Pirates called. The Bucs him in the 17th round of the 2012 MLB draft and offered a $400,000 signing bonus to forego college.
Hurst took the leap of faith to the minor leagues and played two seasons in the Pirates farm system. All seemed well before he began to develop a case of the yips from the mound in 2013.
The Pirates then agreed to try him out in the field which yielded similar results. Hurst hit .247 in 15 games and had 26 strikeouts and knew his baseball dreams were over. During spring training in 2015 he started making some calls. Hurst grew up with former Gamecock quarterback Perry Orth in Jacksonville, so he called up his old friend Perry and asked him what football college football was like.
“If you’re used to hopping on a bus and traveling all over the southeast as a minor league player, college football’s going to be a cakewalk,” Orth said he told Hurst on the call.
Hurst ultimately decided to join the South Carolina football team as a preferred walk-on. He redshirted in 2014 under legendary head coach Steve Spurrier.
“In my mind, I wanted to go have fun,” Hurst said, “I thought I’d catch a few touchdowns and be cool on campus, but to be a first-round pick I don’t think I ever could’ve dreamed up that one.”
He began his football career as a 22-year-old freshman in 2015. Spurrier resigned six games into that season after a blowout 24-45 loss to No. 7 LSU in Baton Rouge. The team went 3-9 (1-7 in the SEC) in that season, but Hurst found a way onto the field in all 12 games on special teams. He tallied 8 catches for 106 yards as a tight end and had found his role.
In 2016 the Gamecocks hired Will Muschamp as head coach and Hurst excelled into the starting tight end role. As a sophomore, he was named a team captain and burst onto the scene.
Hurst broke nearly every single-season school record for a tight end. He tallied 48 receptions for 616 yards and a touchdown which ranked in the top 12 nationally for tight ends. His performance earned him a scholarship the following spring.
In 2017, Hurst continued his tear through the SEC. He caught 44 passes for 559 yards and two touchdowns. He was named unanimous First-team All-SEC by the Associated Press and the league’s 14 coaches. Not to mention being a semifinalist for the Mackey Award, given to the nation’s top tight end.
Hurst’s efforts caught the eyes of every NFL team. Hurst became the 13th player in school history to be drafted in the first round. He was selected 25th overall by the Baltimore Ravens in the 2018 NFL draft.
“I was leaving baseball and I didn’t think I was going to be a first-round pick, but maybe Will saw something in me that I didn’t at the time, and thank God he did,” Hurst said.
Hurst has always been open with his battles with mental health. He said his battle with addiction began in minor league baseball as the yips ensued.
“Whether you’re an NFL player, a first-round pick, or you sell insurance, it affects you in some way shape or form,” Hurst said. “In our everyday lives mental health, depression, anxiety, it affects all of us in some way.”
Hurst started the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation that focuses on suicide prevention.
“That’s why I tell my story, I try and give people perspective. You’ve got to take everything one day at a time and surround yourself with good people,” Hurst said.
If you are struggling, speak up. I personally have had my own bouts with mental health and understand how hard it can get. But it does get better.
Every life is an important one and we need each other now more than ever. Resources that may help someone are listed below along with a link to donate to Hurst’s foundation.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
- American Psychological Association
- National Suicide Prevention Hotline
- Donate to the Hayden Hurst Family Foundation for Mental Health
