Zeb Noland will put on the pads one final time on Thursday and write the last chapter in what has been a movie-worthy college football career.

We all know the story by now with Noland, after stints at Iowa State and North Dakota State came to South Carolina as a graduate assistant but was soon elevated to the active roster after Luke Doty went down with an injury to provide depth.

In a surprise to everyone, the extra depth quarterback was named the starter ahead of the first game of the season against Eastern Illinois and he'll play his final collegiate game Thursday.

Noland went on to play in six games this season, starting in five and leading South Carolina to three wins along the way.

Noland played an integral part in getting the Gamecocks bowl eligible and he'll have the chance to lead the team to it's bowl victory since 2017.

"He led us to two wins at the beginning of the season and a great win against Vanderbilt in the end," Beamer said. "People forget when he got hurt against Georgia he had taken us right down the field on the first drive and we were going into score when we got injured."

Even in the six games the Noland didn't play in, he was still making an impact on his teammates on the offensive side of the ball and in the quarterback room.

"Then when he wasn't playing he's just been a great leader and resource for Luke or Jason or any of those guys," Beamer said. "Certainly thankful that he's apart of our program as a player this year and he's going to be a great coach going forward as well."

Noland described the opportunity that Beamer gave him to come to Columbia as a blessing.

"I knew that he wanted me to come and coach here way before I played so I just try to do my job everyday no matter what it is," Noland said on Sunday. "Whether it's picking up the locker room and being a leader or doing whatever he asks, I'm going to do what he wants me to and he gave me the opportunity to be here and I'm just thankful for that."

In his first press conference appearance Noland said he wanted to leave the team having no regrets and its safe to assume he'll be doing just that.

"'I've gotten to know these guys like I wanted to, I made life long friends, those were the things I wanted to," Noland said. "I've done everything I wanted to and I want to seal it off with a victory and send out these seniors the right way."

The ultimate cherry on top to Noland's story book season would be to go out with a win in the Duke's Mayo Bowl on Thursday. Not only does Noland understand the importance a bowl victory has for this years team but like a true coach, he understands what it means for the future of the program.

"It'd be awesome, I've been a part of bowl wins and they're really, really fun. They're great for the fan base and they're great for recruiting going into the next season," Noland said. "You get a lot of work in the bowl season, you get 15 practices and you want to reap what you sow and I think that's what we want to do. Just enjoy it and have fun."

Win or lose on Thursday, Noland has certainly made his impact on the program that's being built at South Carolina and his name is likely one that will be cherished by Gamecock fans for a while.

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