Kwinton Smith taking another swing at baseball

Kwinton Smith is getting a second chance - at baseball.

The former South Carolina wide receiver - and 14th round draft pick by the Texas Rangers in 2012 - will attend Florence-Darlington Technical College and play for the Stingers.

"At the end of the day, baseball is my first love," Smith said. "I missed being out there on the field. I just went back to where my heart was."

The 6-foot-4 Smith, from Dillon, would have been a redshirt sophomore for the Gamecocks this season. He caught five passes for 42 yards in 2013.

He was academically ineligible for Jan. 1 Capital One Bowl and left the team before spring practice.

Smith was the No. 5 football prospect in the state and a four-star recruit by 247Sports when he signed with USC in 2012 over Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Florida, LSU and others. Smith, Jody Fuller and Shaq Roland all committed to the Gamecocks the same week in July 2011. Only Roland remains on the team.

Smith was greeted warmly by former coaches and teammates while at a USC camp last week with friends from Dillon High. He feels like he left the Gamecocks on good terms -- for the most part.

"All the coaches, we still communicate. I have good conversations with them and they still give me advice," he said. "It's tough. This place is home to me. I have close friends here and other players on the team are like brothers to me."

Smith had hoped to play football and baseball at USC. He tried out for Chad Holbrook's Gamecocks ahead of the 2013 season but didn't make the final roster.

He will spend the next few weeks pitching for the Gastonia Grizzlies in the Coastal Plain collegiate summer league. He expects to pitch and play outfield for Florence-Darlington Tech.

Smith was drafted by the Rangers as an outfielder. Could pitching be his position long term? Maybe, he said.

"It just depends on me being able to work on it consistently instead of worrying about having to switch sports," Smith said.

Smith is hopeful he'll be able to pick up where he left off with baseball and go further this time around. He'll be eligible for the MLB draft next year.

He admitted to having regrets about not signing with Texas in 2012.

"I wake up some mornings wishing I did," Smith said. "But everything happens for a reason and this second opportunity came for a reason, so I'm going to take advantage of it."

Former Gamecocks find landing spots

In addition to Kwinton Smith heading to Florence-Darlington Technical College, here is where other former Gamecocks landed for the upcoming season:

-- Defensive back/spur Kyle Fleetwood - Coastal Carolina in Conway, SC

-- Wide receiver Jody Fuller - Arizona Western (same school where former USC QB Tanner McEvoy attended for a season)

-- Offensive lineman Bryce King - Mars Hill College in Mars Hill, N.C.

-- Tight end Kelvin Rainey - Iowa Western in Council Bluffs, Iowa (Rainey will play linebacker moving forward). According to a Scout.com report, "The outside linebacker that came from South Carolina to sign with the Reivers is an excellent pass rusher that the Iowa Western coaching staff is very excited about."

This story was originally published July 31, 2014 at 11:24 AM with the headline "Kwinton Smith taking another swing at baseball."