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South Carolina establishes Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship

The University of South Carolina recently established The Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship in honor of Jake Panus who was killed as a passenger in a car crash last year at just 16 years old.

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer has been a supporter in establishing the fund that will "provide a walk-on football player who, through hard work and perseverance, earns an athletic scholarship and contributes toward the success of the Gamecock football team, the University and the community at large."

On August 9, 2020, Jake was killed when he was riding as a passenger in what officials called a DUI car crash in Block Island, Rhode Island.

“Jake was a young man who lived life to its fullest. He threw himself completely into whatever he committed to,” said Reverend Laura Whitmore of the Southport Congregational Church, via the Fairfield Citizen. “Whether it was his church, his sports teams, his studies, his friendships — and he just brought joy and humor and fun to wherever he was.”

A member of the Fairfield Ludlowe High School football and lacrosse teams and huge Gamecock fan, Jake dreamed of attending South Carolina like his father, Stephen, who graduated from the University in 1991 and also worked in the SID's office as an undergraduate.

In establishing the Jake Panus Walk-on Football Endowed Scholarship, Jake's family is hoping for his name to live on through the scholarship and "forever inspire and motivate walk-on football players at the University of South Carolina to push themselves and their teammates toward greatness on and off the field."

The student-athlete will share Jake's leadership attributes while demonstrating a motivated work ethic, fierce determination, team-first mentality, and grit on the football field.

You can donate to the scholarship fund by clicking here.

Photo: Jake Panus' Family/SC.edu
Photo: Jake Panus' Family/SC.edu
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