Before the NFL Combine and professional days arrive in the spring, four South Carolina football players from the 2020 season will participate in four separate all-star postseason events that will have NFL scouts in attendance. Below is information sent in a press release from South Carolina Athletics Communications and Public Relations.
Sadarius Hutcherson is participating in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl experience. Hutcherson, a 6-4, 320-pound player from Huntingdon, Tennessee, played the left guard for the Gamecocks in 2021, starting all 10 games. Named the SEC’s offensive Lineman of the week for his role in Vanderbilt, Hutcherson made 39 career appearances, mostly in the squad. The Collegiate Bowl will be held virtually from 13 to 14 January due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Adam Prentice will compete in the Spiral Tropical Bowl, to be played on Saturday, January 17, in Orlando-Kissimmee, Florida. Prentice, a defender of almost two meters and 60 kilos will play for the National Team. A graduated transfer from the state of Colorado, Prentice played in all 10 games for the Gamecocks in 2020, receiving a pair of passes. He was instrumental as a blocking defender, helping Kevin Harris run for more than 1,100 yards.
Quarterback Collin Hill will attend the 2021 College Gridiron Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas, January 17-21. Hill, a 6-4, 222-pound graduate transfer from the state of Colorado, started the first eight games of the 2020 season for Carolina. He completed 59.1 percent of his passes for 1,411 yards. The first all-star event to implement an OTA format, CGS shows players through practices and a controlled match with professional coaches.
Shi Smith accepted the invitation to the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl, scheduled for January 30 in Mobile, Ala. Smith, a 5-10, 190 pound from Union, SC, was the No. 1 receiver for Gamecocks throughout the season. He picked up 57 passes for 633 yards in nine games, ranking among the SEC’s top 10 in both receptions per game (6.3) and receiving yards per game (70.3). He recorded 174 career receptions for 2,204 yards, fourth on the school’s all-time reception list and eighth on the school’s career receiving yard list.
Other Gamecocks who declared themselves for the 2021 NFL Draft are defenders Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu and linebacker Ernest Jones.