South Carolina football kicks off the 2025 season in just 23 days. Here's a look back at No. 23, Bruce Ellington.
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 23 days away.
One of the most recent two-sport successes at South Carolina was Bruce Ellington, and No. 23 was on his chest on both the gridiron and the hardwood. Ellington was a multi-year starter on the Gamecock basketball team and developed into a big-time receiver for the football squad.
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Ellington didn’t start his collegiate career playing football. During his first year on campus, he only played basketball. However, heading into his second year, the former four-star point guard wanted to join Steve Spurrier’s team. The Head Ball Coach was happy to oblige.
In his first year with the team, Ellington played a part-time role as a receiver, running back, wildcat quarterback, and return man. Even in a non-starting role, he logged over 350 yards of offense and two touchdowns. He averaged over 23 yards per kick return, too.
Ellington’s next two years saw him transition into a starting receiver role. In 2012 and 2013, he compiled 89 catches for 1375 yards and 15 touchdowns. In South Carolina’s Outback Bowl win over Michigan, he caught the game-winning score with under a minute remaining. He also threw a touchdown pass to quarterback Connor Shaw in the duo’s final game in garnet and black in 2013, a Capital One Bowl victory over the Wisconsin Badgers.
That 2013 season included two of the best-ever single-game performances by a South Carolina wideout. Against the then-undefeated Missouri Tigers, Ellington caught 10 passes for 136 yards. He also snagged a diving touchdown grab in the fourth quarter and the game-tying score on 4th-and-goal from the 15-yard line in overtime. Then, in the bowl win over Wisconsin, he set a career-high with 140 yards receiving. He had three total touchdowns on the day, the toss to Shaw and two receiving scores from No. 14.
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Ellington’s move to the football field proved to be a good decision for both him and the Gamecocks. Despite playing less than most of the players above him on the list, he ranks tied-for-10th in South Carolina football history with 16 receiving touchdowns. Ellington’s career culminated with an All-SEC selection and fourth-round NFL Draft selection.
The Palmetto State native spent six seasons in the NFL before injuries derailed his career. Ellington earned induction into the Berkeley High School Hall of Fame and is an obvious candidate for other career accolades as the years continue.
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Category: General Sports
