Former South Carolina football cornerback Israel Mukuamu he ran in defense of his university on a national broadcast on Thursday morning, giving a common blow to his school. Good Morning Football personality Kyle Brandt used the tired phrase that no one outside of Palmetto state believes “USC” stands for University of South Carolina.
Brandt commented on the program the day before, and the clip was rolled over to Mukuamu, who was conducting an interview via Zoom on the program, which is broadcast on the NFL Network.
Mukuamu responded quickly to the joke, because he has certainly heard it many times before.
“First of all, we always say, ‘How can you be a USC if you haven’t even received the name of the current state,” asked Mukuamu. “That said, let’s get on with it right here.”
And with that, Mukuamu lifted his black Gamecocks shirt and said, “The University of South Carolina”.
“I think South Carolina anyway,” says Mukuamu.
Mukuamu, who suffered a lot from South Carolina fans after choosing to leave with three games remaining in the 2020 season, defended his school on the national broadcast that aired on Thursday morning. Check out the video clip for the return trip below.
.@KyleBrandt says the ‘real’ USC is the University of Southern California.@IsraelMukuamu have something to say about it … pic.twitter.com/QudrkWf6AJ
– GMFB (@gmfb) March 25, 2021
Mukuamu played six of seven games as a junior in 2020 before opting for the last three games to start preparing for the NFL’s 2021 Draft process. He had 10 tackles and two interceptions last season.
On Tuesday, Mukuamu revealed a groin strain at the opening of the 2020 season, followed by two injuries from the injury, which prevented him from playing according to his standard. The second aggravation of his groin injury at Ole Miss was considered an injury at the end of the season, one of the main reasons why he decided to give up three days after that game.
Entering the 2020 season, he made 14 consecutive matches and had five career interceptions. His four interceptions, three in a game in 2019’s frustrating 2019 victory in Georgia, were the second most in the SEC that season. In the second year, he was fifth in the SEC, with 1.08 passes saved, 13 in 12 games.