Why he wore another team’s gear to school the day he signed with South Carolina

South Carolina football signee Rosendo Louis knew he would pick the Gamecocks that day.

He’d been a longtime Florida State commit, but going into the early National Signing Day, he had made the decision to switch to South Carolina amid the coaching turnover that saw Jimbo Fisher leave and Willie Taggart take over.

But his wardrobe didn’t match.

“I had on the whole Florida State, gym pants, shirt, slides,” Louis said Saturday as he arrived at the Under Armour All American Game.

It caused an online stir, with fans on Twitter noting his wardrobe choice. He didn’t do it to draw a reaction, he said.

“Not at all,” Louis said. “Just something I looked in the closet at. I grabbed it. ... I actually discussed it with my parents.”

The 6-foot-1, 238-pounder had already told the South Carolina coaching staff earlier in the week he’d planned to sign with the Gamecocks. As it appeared more likely Fisher was leaving, Louis said Auburn, Arkansas and Kentucky came after him, but South Carolina and the Seminoles were his top focus.

In him, the team added a “head-butter,” in Will Muschamp’s words. He made 98 tackles with five sacks and one interception as a senior and will enroll early, set to join a group of linebackers that returns nearly every contributor from 2017, plus a few second-year players.

But before all that, Louis had to duck into a room and throw off the FSU gold and garnet suit to match his new Gamecocks colors.

This story was originally published December 30, 2017 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Why he wore another team’s gear to school the day he signed with South Carolina."