Why South Carolina WR Josh Vann is still smiling, optimistic amid down final year
Josh Vann smirked as he positioned himself behind the lectern at the front of South Carolina’s defensive meeting room.
“Man, y’all caught me on a bad day,” he joked with reporters Tuesday. “I need a haircut.”
The room laughed. As did Vann, the Gamecocks’ leading pass-catcher a year ago.
In a college football ecosystem filled with clichés and “coach speak,” Vann is refreshingly himself. He jokes during interviews, flashing the personality that makes him so beloved among teammates. He glows when talking about his daughter, Jennah, who was born last year and who’s been an added responsibility outside of football this year.
Vann is also introspective, expounding honestly on his 2022 on-field numbers not living up to preseason billing and why, despite that, he remains upbeat.
“It’s really been a one-of-a-kind year,” he said. “Coming back, I was thinking I was gonna have all the accolades, 1,000 yards receiving, like 50 catches — and it hasn’t been like that. But I’ve really just been taking everything day by day, cherishing these games, these practices with my brothers, these coaches.”
Vann’s time at South Carolina has twisted more than a Tilt-a-Whirl amusement ride. A four-star recruit out of the Atlanta area, he spurned Georgia for USC. The hype that came with his recruiting stock never quite materialized during his first three years, with 47 catches for 377 yards and two touchdowns over that span.
But 2021 was a glimpse at the talent always believed to be there.
Vann nearly doubled his output from the previous three years combined in Shane Beamer’s first fall as head coach. He finished the year leading the Gamecocks in receptions (43) and yards receiving (679). His five touchdown receptions also tied for tops on the team.
He weighed his NFL options after the 2021 campaign, sitting down with Beamer to discuss the decision. Vann decided it was in his best interest to come back for another year — albeit with a caveat.
“I can remember sitting in the office with him and telling him, ‘Look, if you’re coming back thinking that you’re going to catch 100 balls next season, you’re probably not,’ ” Beamer recounted. “Because I knew we had some other receivers coming along, we would have more depth on offense and it would’ve been hard for anybody, not just Josh.
“I also told him, ‘You can continue to help yourself for the next level.’ There’s certainly things that he could do better — not so much stats and accolades — but being able to show things at the receiver position.”
That Vann returned, prolific 2021 in tow, hasn’t exactly amounted to major contributions in the stat column. He’s sixth on the team in yards receiving (162) and eighth in receptions (14).
Still, there are developments worth circling.
Vann become an increasingly valuable tool in the punt return game, his return average jumping five yards from a season ago. Pro Football Focus also rates 2022 his second-best season on record, according to its 100-point grading scale.
Beamer, too, pointed to a handful of the key catches Vann has made this fall, limited as they’ve been. His 18-yard catch early in last week’s loss to Florida picked up a crucial third down. He added a highlight-reel grab in the win over Vanderbilt the week prior.
Defensive lineman Zacch Pickens noted Vann hasn’t stopped working in lieu of his limited targets. Vann and receiver Ahmarean Brown spend time after every practice running extra routes, catching balls and, per Pickens, “playing games.”
“He’s always gonna have a smile on his face,” Pickens said. “He’s going to do whatever he can for the team. If he’s not getting the ball, he’s trying to return a punt. ... Josh has matured a lot.”
Added running back Juju McDowell: “It’s been life-altering for me (watching Vann). I know Josh a lot more than other people know Josh. I know Josh as a human being. I know Josh as a father. And for him to come into an environment where we all projected Josh not to be in, to take a completely different trajectory and make the best out of it ... there’s not too many people that have the mental stability to do that, let alone the physical ability.”
Saturday, Vann will take the field at Williams-Brice Stadium one last time. The hope is he’s shown enough intangibly to latch onto an NFL roster when the time comes. Given what he’s done as a punt returner and on special teams, he should find himself in a pro training camp in 2023.
The 2022 season hasn’t gone according to plan. The 100 catches. The accolades. Those aren’t there.
Vann is still smiling through it all.
This story was originally published November 15, 2022 at 6:36 PM.
