Josh Vann has a decision to make sometime soon, but it won’t be just him he’s keeping in mind when making it.
Vann, who became a father earlier this month, has to decide sometime soon after the Gamecocks’ bowl game if he will or won’t return to South Carolina next season and is keeping his cards close to his chest.
“I’m keeping all the cards on the table and see how this last game goes. I don’t want to focus in on making a decision already," Vann said. "I had a heck of a year, so I’m keeping all the options on the table. I’m focused on the game tomorrow and everything happens after that.”
Vann said he’s talked with some NFL personnel to get feedback but opted not to share what he’s heard publicly although he did mention there “are definitely a lot of options to weigh.”
The biggest is his daughter, Jennah, who was born Dec. 7 and is commanding a lot of attention from Vann who will have to make his decision sooner rather than later.
“It ain’t just about me now. I’m thinking about what’s best for my daughter. Should I go to the league, potentially get drafted and make some more money to provide in that type of way, or do I come back to school?” he said.
“There are a bunch of options out there my girlfriend and I have to talk about. It’s a lot, but when I make a decision everyone will know.”
Vann is coming off a career year where he led the Gamecocks with 668 yards receiving and set career highs in receptions (43), yards, yards per reception (15.5), and touchdowns (6).
He had 17 explosive plays (passes of at least 18 yards or rushes of at least 12), which was the best on the team this year.
“They though South Carolina had no receivers this year. That was the talk around the town when the season started and all spring,” Vann said. “It made us hungrier and came out this year and proved everybody wrong. It’s an honor to play for the University of South Carolina.”
Vann will have at least one more game to play with the Gamecocks taking on North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl Dec. 30 (11:30 a.m., ESPN).
It’ll be the first game he’s played since the birth of his daughter, something he doesn’t take lightly.
“It’s a dream come true you get to go out there and play for your child. I get the honor of doing it in the last game of the season in a bowl game, which is basically a championship game for us. It’s a lot of emotion,” he said.
“I might get emotional when I step on the field and shed some tears, especially if I get in the box. It’s a lot of emotions I can’t explain.”
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