Hayden Hurst throws support behind Will Muschamp, writes coach ‘turned my life around’
Will Muschamp joined South Carolina football at a rather crucial juncture for tight end Hayden Hurst.
At the moment, the coach is somewhat embattled, needing a win against a tough mid major opponent and then one upset in two tries just to reach a bowl in his fourth season. But Hurst, now with the Baltimore Ravens in the NFL, has his coach’s back.
In his first year on campus, Hurst was playing wide receiver as a former minor-league baseball pitcher in his early 20s. He only caught eight passes for 106 yards, only a few years after the yips ended his career on the diamond, which led to a battle with anxiety and depression.
A friend, quarterback Perry Orth, had convinced him to walk on in Steve Spurrier‘s final season, but the Gamecocks program it’s self was in the midst of a reset.
Muschamp inherited Hurst and had a plan for him. The tall, burly pass catcher had played some tight end earlier in his career and that was where he would go again. His blocking needed work, but the potential was there in a big way.
That first season, Hurst had 48 catches for 616 yards, setting several single-season program records for tight end production. The next year he had 44 catches for 559 yards.
At 25 years old, he left for the NFL draft and was taken 25th overall. In the pros he has 29 catches for 319 yards in two seasons.
Hurst was back on campus for the spring game this year.
