Jadeveon Clowney Speaks With Media Prior To Jersey Retirement

Program legend Jadeveon Clowney returned to Columbia for the season opener against Georgia State to have his No. 7 jersey retired at halftime of the season opener, joining a pantheon of four other Gamecocks to receive the honor.

"It's crazy," Clowney said. "I can't say when I was playing and coming up, I never thought anybody would ever want to be like me. I was always just doing it for fun, I never saw it taking me anywhere. I tell this story all the time, my mom was never like, 'this is what you need to be doing.' This was just something I did, everybody was telling me how good I was and she didn't even pay attention. And then in college, I kept going."

Clowney played at South Carolina from 2011-2013 after signing with Steve Spurrier as the No. 1 recruit in the country out of Rock Hill, S.C. Clowney was a part of the three highest win totals in program history, as the Gamecocks won 11 games in three consecutive seasons. This included the longest home winning streak in program history, an 18-game run that spanned all three seasons Clowney was with the team.

"The atmosphere is so much different than the NFL," Clowney said about his time in Columbia. "It's like a true brotherhood in the locker room in this locker room compared to an NFL locker room. It's like, y'all got families up there. Here it's like we were kids, it was our time out on our own, we've got other guys on our team who were in that same situation that we were leaning on. I felt like the chip on our shoulder was a lot different because of the guys in that locker room."

Clowney is best remembered for his iconic hit against Michigan in the 2013 Outback Bowl, but he had some other moments he remembered fondly from his time with the Gamecocks. In addition to going 3-0 against Clemson, he recalled giving his team an emotional lift in a tight SEC East game.

"When Marcus Lattimore got hurt, everyone was all down on the sideline," Clowney said about the 2012 game against Tennessee. Clowney clinched that win with a big sack near the end of the game that secured the win, despite the emotional weight of the injury.

And although the jersey is being retired, the number is not. South Carolina's high-profile transfer quarterback Spencer Rattler will be carrying on the legacy of the jersey this season, and sixth-year defensive end Jordan Strachan will be wearing the number when the defense is on the field.

"It's really cool," Rattler said. "He's probably the best defensive end ever to come through college football. He's a big name here, and a big name across the country and the world. It's really cool that they're honoring him that way, and I've definitely got to represent No. 7 the right way while I'm here."

Kick-off is set for 7:30 pm on ESPN+/SEC Network+. You can join us on the Insider's Forum for live updates, including the latest on Corey Rucker and Christian Beal-Smith's injuries.