New South Carolina tight ends coach Erik Kimrey's first recruiting win may come in the form of someone already in the Garnet and Black.

Senior tight end Nick Muse is still working through a final decision on whether or not he'll return for his final year of eligibility, but Muse appears to be leaning towards a return to South Carolina next season, according to Kimrey, who spoke with the media on Monday for the first time since joining the program.

"I talked to Nick Muse last night and I had a great conversation with him and I feel confident that he's going to be back next year," Kimrey said. "He's still working through a couple of things in terms of talking to some people, but we had a wonderful conversation. He seems like a great guy and I look forward to him coming back and being a great leader on this team. We need him."

The 6-foot-4, 250-pound Muse was South Carolina's second-leading receiver this past season behind only wide receiver Shi Smith.

Muse hauled in 30 receptions for 425 yards and a touchdown as a senior this past season but has one final year of eligibility left since this past season didn't count against players' eligibilities.

As a junior in 2019, Muse transferred into the program from William & Mary and caught 17 passes for 158 yards.