He left South Carolina days before a game, now he's trying out for the NFL

The end of Rico McWilliams' South Carolina football career came quickly.

The cornerback who started 16 games as a sophomore and junior had missed parts of 2016 August camp to help family in storm-ravaged Baton Rouge, La. Three days before the Gamecocks opener against Vanderbilt, he was gone, giving up football Will Muschamp said.

Soon he'll get a try with an NFL team.

McWilliams didn't play in 2016, but he did in 2017. He went west, joined Southeast Missouri State's football team and showed enough in eight games to get an NFL shot.

At 5-foot-11, 186, he made 26 tackles and broke up three passes, while missing three games for the RedHawks. He was part of a 3-8 football team that allowed 21.8 points per game and opponents to complete less than 50 percent of their passes.

In Columbia, McWilliams had 32 tackles and a pair of pass breakups in his final season (in 10 starts). His departure left USC perilously thin at defensive back. He was on Gamecocks defenses that struggled in Steve Spurrier's final two seasons.

This story was originally published May 2, 2018 at 3:26 PM with the headline "He left South Carolina days before a game, now he's trying out for the NFL."