Muse talks NCAA waiver, adjusting to South Carolina

The Gamecocks new transfer tight end is excelling so far through the first seven practices—Bobby Bentley said Muse could be a “dominant in-line” tight end—but he might not get to show it right away.

Muse, who currently has to sit out this year because of NCAA transfer rules, has appealed college football’s governing body to be eligible immediate and is waiting for an answer.

“As of right now I’m worried about practice,” Muse said today. “If it comes, it comes.”

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Muse, who met with reporters for the first time since enrolling at South Carolina, has been practicing for the last week with the Gamecocks trying to learn the playbook as quickly as possible in case he does get eligible this season.

While he didn’t divulge what arguments he made in his appeal, Muse did say he expects to know before the season starts.

The NCAA has been more lenient lately in approving immediate eligibility, but it still seems somewhat arbitrary and varying from player to player.

“They came out with some stricter rules,” Muse said. “We’re trying to figure out ways through it and work on it.”

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Muse comes in after two seasons at William and Mary, coming off a career year where he caught 30 balls for 453 yards and a touchdown.

He came and had what Will Muschamp called an “off the charts” camp performance where he ran a 4.7-second 40-yard dash and had a vertical leap at 31 inches.

After that he earned an offer from the Gamecocks, and committed soon after.

“I talk to my family a lot and we, I would say had some issues, but a little bit of a problem where I felt like we needed to transfer. I felt like someone was going to pick me up, because usually not many people get picked up. I was fortunate coach Muschamp and coach Bentley reached out to me.”

Now, he’s trying to find a role in the Gamecocks’ tight end room behind listed starters Kyle Markway and Kiel Pollard. Both, Muse said, have been incredibly helpful throughout his transition process saying the two have “showed me around and how to hold my own.”

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If eligible this season, Bentely said Muse would be in the rotation and could compete for starting snaps. But it still takes a little time and is a learning curve trying to soak up an entirely new offense from the one he was in at William and Mary.

“Definitely the plays,” Muse said of the learning curve. “Coach Muschamp and Bentley have a lot of faith in me. If I can learn the plays, I’ll be able to play.”

Muse is the brother of Clemson safety Tanner Muse, who’s entering his final season in the upstate.

The two have grown up together—Nick said Tanner, who’s older, won the majority of the fights growing up—and if Muse isn’t eligible this season, they’d miss their chance to play against each other.

“It’s always in the back of my mind to play against him,” Muse said. “I’ve always wanted to play with him or against him. For the most part I’m worried about training camp and North Carolina.”