Gamecock football newcomer’s forever family story featured on national TV news show

Nathan Harris-Waynick, a star running back at Sumter High School, is living a dream as he gets a chance to play college football at South Carolina.

“It means everything to me. My family are Gamecocks fans, so it’s a big deal for all of us,” Harris-Waynick told The State in December.

Harris-Waynick has overcome more than most kids his age to get to this point in his career. His story was documented in 2020 on WACH Fox about how he lived in and out of Crosswell Home for Children for seven years until he was 12 years old.

In 2014, Harris-Waynick began living with Tripp and Wendy Waynick. The couple officially became his legal guardians this past February.

Harris-Waynick, his family and their story were featured this weekend on NBC Nightly News.

New USC football coach Shane Beamer last month offered Harris-Waynick a preferred walk-on spot with the Gamecocks. He accepted and enrolled in January.

“I started doing my research and talking to his high school coaches,” Beamer told NBC. “The more I found out, the more I liked.”

Harris-Waynick, 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, rushed for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns this past season. He had 175 yards and a score against state champion Dutch Fork in the Class 5A Lower State championship. For his career, he rushed for 3,237 yards and 49 touchdowns.

Being a preferred walk-on guarantees a recruit a spot on the roster but no financial assistance to start his college career.