USC QB Jay Urich moving on from football for higher calling, Muschamp says
South Carolina quarterback Jay Urich was long known as a personality who impacted players and others off the field.
Gamecocks coach Will Muschamp announced Tuesday that Urich will turn his attention to helping others and will no longer play football.
Urich will take a medical disqualification, which allows him to stay on scholarship. After finishing his degree in December, he will join the team as a graduate assistant and work with Connor Shaw helping with off-field player development.
A chronic shoulder problem was the medical issue for the quarterback, Muschamp said. Urich also played wide receiver and special teams. He will have surgery Wednesday.
“Jay’s got a strong calling in life to make a difference in people’s lives,” Muschamp said. “He’s gonna make a difference in people’s lives in everything he does, and Jay’s got a gift. He’s got a gift of communicating with people. He’s got a strong faith.”
Later in the afternoon, Urich put a heartfelt message on Twitter.
Urich started his Original Design foundation with its “Matters is the Minimum” mantra this offseason. The organization will work toward helping underprivileged kids in Columbia. He’s spoken with Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin, former Gamecock Carey Rich and others to get things started with the foundation.
Urich came to South Carolina as a quarterback in Muschamp’s first full recruiting cycle. He starred at Wren High School in the Upstate and worked as a reserve at USC, spending some time at receiver in 2019 and then moving back to QB this offseason.
He’s long been a player teammates spoke highly of as a person and a friend, someone many players could go to if they had something to talk though.
And he won’t be leaving that role.
“We’re, again, really disappointed that he’s not gonna be on the field with us,” Muschamp said. “But he’s always gonna be with us. He’s gonna be in our building and continue to work with the Gamecocks moving forward.”
Injury report:
▪ Dime linebacker Jahmar Brown is questionable with a knee injury he suffered in camp.
▪ Freshman defensive tackle Alex Huntley, who starred locally at Hammond, sprained his ankle while conditioning on Sunday and will be out this week.
▪ The staff hopes to get linebacker Rosendo Louis back in a week or two. He’s been sidelined most of the offseason after a procedure on his quad.
▪ After a hamstring bothered him through much of camp, running back Zaquandre White is back and full go, Muschamp said.
This story was originally published September 22, 2020 at 12:45 PM.
