The two oldest members of the South Carolina wide receiver’s room weren’t even in uniform in 2020. Both OrTre Smith and Randrecous Davis he chose to leave the last season before the pre-season camp even started.
Davis, who has been on the program since 2016, and Smith, who joined in 2017, battled injuries that spanned most of their university careers. When each met with the media on Friday, they explained that the opportunity to be left out without a missed eligibility penalty put them in a frame of mind to press the rest button with their bodies.
“I had a lot of injuries,” said Davis. “I thought it was in my interest to sit and let my body come back under me so that I could touch it when I did. I needed a break. It was a free year and you can never do things like that. (The pandemic) gave me a chance. “
Davis noted that his most recent injury required a rod and two screws inserted into his leg, a procedure from which he has not yet fully recovered to be fully active in training. As Davis spent more time recovering, Smith regained strength in the areas around his surgically repaired patella, an operation he did in the fall of 2018 that cost him his second year on campus and limited him in 2019, despite playing in nine games.
“I gave up last year because of greed, but since then I have been working hard, working on my knee, my hamstrings and in general, my body looks great,” said Smith.
“They had to move my kneecap because it was going in a different direction than it should have. It was difficult because my knee was causing me problems, so I couldn’t play as I wanted to, I was out of shape and I couldn’t run as I wanted to. I was never depressed, but it was difficult. It really made a big impact on my game because I couldn’t do much with it. “
Access to the football facilities was denied, accompanied by the option of not participating in the season. Smith followed his own routine while he was away.
“I took a week off and then signed up for Crunch Fitness,” said Smith. “I was not allowed to enter the building for ambitious reasons. I would wake up, have breakfast and go to Crunch with one of my friends at home. We worked out for about an hour, I went to Chipotle and did it four days a week. I think it worked. I have a very strong knee. It is the best feeling ever. I tried to work on stretching and yoga. “
Smith feels confident about the way he is, but says that playing football again will require another level of conditioning that he hasn’t experienced in over a year.
“I would say I am in very good shape, but there is always room for improvement,” said Smith. “I haven’t played football in over a year. I need to get back into shape in football, but now I feel really good. “
Separated in age for a year, but united by what they went through with various injuries, Davis says he and Smith lean on each other.
“OrTre is my guy. He came after me, but we went through the same amount of injuries, ”said Davis. “We can always rely on each other because we go through all the changes together. He’s there for me and I’m there for him. “
Davis has played 19 games in the past five seasons, with three matches, but has not seen a game since the middle of the 2018 season. He missed the entire 2019 season due to a sprained ankle. A stress fracture in his leg in the spring of 2020 required the surgery he detailed above. He also lost games in his career due to a sports hernia and groin and hamstring injuries. He enters his sixth year with the program weighing in at about 5-10 feet and 195 pounds.
In his three seasons in uniform, Smith has appeared in 24 games (11 matches). He has 42 career receptions for 420 yards and four touchdowns, with 30 of the receptions arriving in 2017 as a real freshman. Entering his fifth year in college, Smith weighs 6-4 pounds and weighs 227 pounds.
A former four-star recruit, ranked No. 19 wide receiver and South Carolina’s best overall outlook in the class of 2017, Smith has not given up on his skills.
“My mom taught me to keep my head strong and think of it as a second chance to get my body in shape, be healthy, be conditioned and be in shape,” said Smith. I know that greed was a drag, but I saw it as a second chance to put everything in order. … I have had flashes (in my head) of what I can really do when I am 100 percent healthy. You haven’t seen it yet. I had a little flash in my first year. I personally feel that I could be the best at doing this if I remain healthy. “