Last college game represents major transition for Nick Muse — and his family

South Carolina tight end Nick Muse will get to close the circle on Thursday.

The last time the Gamecocks football team played a bowl game in Charlotte, Muse was still an FCS football player. The last time they played in Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, the 2019 season opener, Muse was waiting.

And waiting and waiting.

He was officially a Gamecock at that point, but he wasn’t in the stadium.

“We were at the game anyway,” said Shannon Muse, his mother. “Just in hopes. It was just frustrating, just the waiting process, either a yes or a no.”

On that day, also the last time South Carolina faced North Carolina on the gridiron, Nick Muse was at home, in the Charlotte suburb of Belmont, North Carolina, watching the game on the couch with his family’s dog. He was waiting on a waiver from the NCAA to allow him to play in his first season after transferring from William & Mary. The process had dragged through the preseason and didn’t resolve until late the next week.

But he was hopeful. His parents and some family had tickets, so they went. He didn’t need to travel, but came up Interstate 77 on the off chance word would come late and he could get into the game.

It’s been a long journey from then to now.

“It’s a blessing,” Muse said. “Not many people get to play at this level, and when they do, not many people get to play a lot at this level. I feel like I played a lot. I played like 800 and something snaps this year.”

An interesting 3 seasons at USC

Muse’s career has seen a range of ups and downs, twists and turns. He’s been a relentless optimist, and that optimism has been tested.

After waiting to play, his first season on campus saw the team struggle mightily in then-coach Will Muschamp’s fourth year. In the season’s ninth game, he tore an ACL, which robbed him of the chance to face his older brother Tanner, who was finishing out a decorated career at Clemson. That had been a dream all season, but Nick Muse seemed to roll with it.

The 2020 season was fraught across the team with COVID-19 looming. A 2-5 start led to the ouster of Muschamp, and the pandemic also cost the team a scheduled bowl game. After the regular season finale, Muse spoke up, saying he’d come back if position coach Bobby Bentley was retained.

Though Bentley moved on, Shane Beamer and his new staff brought the super senior back on board.

“It was between staying here and going to the NFL,” Nick Muse said. “I felt like I needed to get back to a more healthy body, especially with how my knee was.

“I’ve done a lot of good things this year with special teams, and stuff, being the man on punt that scouts will look at, understand that I have the intelligence to call a play with 11 people in the right position.”

This season hasn’t been perfect. He admitted that his work on offense left him a bit disappointed. But he also got to play a part in a rebound, as the Gamecocks pulled late upsets to reach 6-6 and give him a chance to close a career at home.

“I’m excited for him,” Beamer said. “He’s put a lot into it and been a great leader for us. And the chance to come back here to this area and play his last game in North Carolina, I know, was exciting for him. And I’ve got a ton of respect from Nick, just the way he practices and he’s just steady and comes to work every single day.”

Preparing for change

His family has had the chance to see him grow and mature, leaving the Carolinas for William & Mary in Virginia, and then returning home.

“He’s matured a lot,” Shannon Muse said, “became a leader out there. He just cares about football. He loves (it). I mean, he just eats, breathes, sleeps everything football. So we’re just super proud. We always knew he could play at that level if somebody would give him the chance and he was able to do it. So we’re just super proud of him.”

This week will include a bit of a transition moment for the Muse family. They’ve had a son playing major college football since 2015. Before that it was high school games on Friday nights.

They hope Nick will join Tanner in the NFL — Tanner is a linebacker with the Seattle Seahawks — but the geography and the travel make everything just feel a little different.

“When they finish high school you’re like really sad,” Shannon Muse said. “A lot of parents are like, ‘Oh, this is gonna be it.’ But we always knew, ‘Oh, the boys have college.’ So we’re hoping he’ll get a chance at playing and going to the NFL, but it is sad because there’s nothing like college. I feel like these kids give it everything they got. It’s fun, the travel, get to see him. So we’re gonna certainly miss that on the weekends.”

The Muse family has had the chance to see Nick here and there through the week. Although the bowl is early and rain is in the forecast, they have plans to get together early, grill, eat and then take in the game. Afterward, they’ll scoop him up at the hotel, hopeful for an excited group after a win.

“Being in you hometown, friends, family, anybody who can come that’s coming, I appreciate it,” Nick Muse said. “There will be a lot of people out there, that I know. It’s always a blessing.”

They got introduced to being a college football family as Clemson fans, but they leave with those Gamecocks ties. As college football parents fully become NFL parents, they’ve seen a full ride as their son closes his journey in garnet.

“I’m thankful that he got an opportunity to play there,” Shannon Muse said. “He’s loved it, no matter if they’re rebuilding and have lost some games and so forth. But you know what really matters — he’s enjoyed it. He’s had a blast and I know that things are only gonna go up for the Gamecocks, so we’re excited to see it.”