With 18 days until South Carolina football kicks off 2025 season, a look back at No. 18, Steve Taneyhill

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 18 days away.

While some numbers on this countdown to kickoff have conjured up memories of a long list of players, the No. 18 has an obvious name attached to it. One of the best players (and loudest personalities) ever to play for South Carolina is quarterback Steve Taneyhill.

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Taneyhill’s journey to becoming a Gamecock legend didn’t start with immediate playing time. The long-haired, flamboyant signal-caller began his career as a backup. Wright Mitchell and Blake Williamson received the first opportunities to take over for the talented Bobby Fuller after his graduation. Eventually, following what some have described as a “mutiny” by some of the team’s older players, Taneyhill took over the starting quarterback job around the midway point of the season.

The newly appointed starter led South Carolina from an 0-5 record to a 5-1 finish. The one loss came in a one-possession game on the road against a top-12 Florida team. The ascending Gamecocks knocked off Tennessee for the first time since 1903, beat two ranked opponents, and defeated the rival Clemson Tigers on the road. In that Palmetto Bowl, a game-sealing Brandon Bennett run led Taneyhill to etch his name (almost literally) into USC lore. As he ran to meet his offense–and lead them to an exclamation point touchdown–the Mulletted Maestro stopped at midfield and pretended to autograph the Clemson Tiger paw. A few plays later, he threw a final touchdown toss to Asim Penny. With Clemson fans throwing water bottles in his direction on the sideline, Taneyhill swung an imaginary baseball bat and feigned admiration of a long home run. Several times, he raised his arms in the air in the direction of the Tigers crowd, reveling in their misery. In homage to the move, Carolina quarterbacks over the years have also raised their arms at the Clemson crowd when beating their rivals in Memorial Stadium. Despite playing just half of a season, Taneyhill was a Freshman All-American in 1992.

The rest of Taneyhill’s playing days were just as exciting, as he made 40 consecutive starts to end his career. As a junior, he led South Carolina to the program’s first-ever bowl win, a 24-21 victory in the Carquest Bowl over West Virginia. Taneyhill was the game’s MVP. As a senior, he threw for what was then the second-most passing yards ever by a Gamecock. Even in today’s pass-happy climate, Tanehill is one of just six USC quarterbacks ever to throw for 3000 yards.

Taneyhill owns the South Carolina record for completions (753) and touchdowns (62) and is second in passing yards (8782). He also has the single-season record for 300-yard performances (6) and the career mark for 400-yard games (3). Only Connor Shaw and Todd Ellis won more games as the starting quarterback in Columbia.

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Taneyhill was briefly with the Jacksonville Jaguars following his Gamecock career. Later, the legendary quarterback finished his degree at USC and then got into coaching. He led Cambridge Academy to back-to-back eight-man state titles. He also coached former Gamecock wideout Shi Smith at Union County High School.

The South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame inducted Taneyhill in 2006.

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