Greatest Gamecock: Football Regional, round one
The Greatest Gamecock of all time bracket is officially underway with voting starting today at 9 a.m. with the football and basketball regionals.
Head over to the Fighting Gamecocks Forum to log your votes and for a full, in-depth breakdown of the football region, scroll down.
(1) George Rogers vs. (16) Steve Taneyhill
The former No. 1 pick and program's lone Heisman winner against one of the most beloved quarterbacks to come through the program. Rogers finished his career with 5,091 yards and 33 total touchdowns in four seasons at South Carolina and still holds plenty of school records 40 years after his college days are done. His No. 38 is retired by the school.
Taneyhill is known for the flashy play and the iconic photo of him celebrating at Death Valley after a victory over Clemson, but he finished his career with over 8,500 yards passing and a quarterback rating of 130.1 and a 61-to-37 touchdown to interception ratio while completing 60.1 percent of passes.
(2) Jadeveon Clowney vs. (15) Deebo Samuel
Another No. 1 overall recruit and top overall pick in 2014, Clowney dominated for three seasons at South Carolina, still holding school records for sacks in a game (4.5), tackles for loss in a season (23.5), sacks in a season (13) and is second in career tackles for loss (47) and third in career sacks (24).
Samuel is the most recent Gamecock to land on the bracket, putting up prolific numbers from a receiver and return man standpoint. When healthy, he was arguably the most lethal receiver in the SEC, finishing his career with 2,230 yards from scrimmage with 28 touchdowns scored, the fourth-highest in school history.
(3) Sterling Sharpe vs. (14) Del Wilkes
Another retired jersey, Sharpe's No. 2 will not be worn by anyone else at South Carolina. Sharpe is fourth all-time in receiving yards with 2,497, top 10 in receiving touchdowns and top five in career receptions as well. He finished his career with 169 receptions, averaging 14.8 yards per pop and had 22 total touchdowns. He was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2014.
Wilkes was just one of four consensus All-Americans at South Carolina as an offensive lineman blocking in the mid-80s. He helped pave the way for then-historic numbers during the Black Magic 1984 season.
(4) Marcus Lattimore vs. (13) Eric Norwood
Two absolute fan favorites here, Lattimore had one of the best freshman years in school history, setting the freshman record for rushing yards (1,197), touchdowns (19) and points scored (114) as part of the team's SEC East championship team. Injuries derailed the rest of his career, but Lattimore still holds the school record for points scored in a season, touchdowns scored in a season and a career, is fourth all-time in total points scored (the highest position player listed) and is sixth all-time in rushing yards in a career.
Norwood had almost an equally impressive stint on the defensive side of the ball, still holding school records in tackles for loss in a career with 54.5 and sacks with 29. He finished his career with 255 tackles, two interceptions and three defensive touchdowns while being a part of the upset of No. 4 Ole Miss in 2009, the game Sandstorm was born.
(5) Alshon Jeffery vs. (12) Brandon Bennett
Jeffery might go down as the best receiver ever at South Carolina, the career leader in receiving yards before Bryan Edwards broke it this year. Jeffery was part of an SEC East championship team and an 11-win team, finishing his career with over 3,000 yards receiving and is tied for the school record with Sidney Rice with 23 receiving touchdowns. He also made the bets Hail Mary catch in a bowl game maybe ever.
Bennett also had one of the most memorable plays in Gamecock history, going over the top to beat Georgia in 1993, but he had a great career outside of that as well. He holds the school record for rushing yards in a game with 278, is third all-time in rushing attempts, fourth in rushing touchdowns and second all-time with 3,055 yards rushing.
(6) Connor Shaw vs. (11) Jeff Grantz
Shaw is the winningest quarterback in school history, winning an unprecedented 27 games over four seasons at South Carolina and still holds completion percentage records for his career and went 177 straight attempts between 2012 and 2013 without an interception, tossing just one interception in 284 attempts his senior season. Shaw is also responsible for one of the greatest comebacks in school history, coming off the bench injured to win at Missouri in 2013.
Grantz was the quarterback in the early-to-mid 1970s, taking over as the full-time starter his last three years. In seasons where he threw at least 25 passes the Gamecocks won a combined 18 games and Grantz finished with 3,440 yards and almost 1,600 yards rushing with a combined 52 touchdowns: 26 passing, 26 rushing.
(7) Steve Wadiak vs. (10) Melvin Ingram
Wadiak is another retired jersey, playing for the Gamecocks in the aftermath of World War II. His 2,878 rushing yards are still fourth all-time almost 70 years after the fact, and it was good enough to earn him second-team All-American honors along with an All-Southern Conference selection. He's still top 10 all time in yards per rush (5.3) and rushing attempts (543) for a career.
Ingram is another consensus All-American and one of the best defensive linemen to come through South Carolina, top four all-time in tackles for loss, sacks and is second all-time in sacks in a season with 10 in 2011. He was also on the SEC East title team and one 11-win year, finishing his career with 111 tackles, 21.5 sacks and 30.5 tackles for loss. Plus, the greatest fake punt touchdown in school history.
(8) Tommy Suggs vs. (9) Stephon Gilmore
Suggs is the only Gamecock quarterback to win a conference championship, leading the 1969 team to the ACC Championship crown. He finished his career with 4,916 yards, a 52.8 completion percentage and 34 touchdowns to 41 interceptions. He's still top 10 all-tie in career attempts, touchdowns and yards.
Gilmore was a Freshman All-American at South Carolina in 2009 before turning into one of the best corners in the country his final two years on campus. He was part of the SEC East championship team and finished his career with 181 tackles and eight interceptions, including one of the longest interception returns in school history, an 80-yarder against Furman.
