How South Carolina’s Xavier Legette raised his offseason game to prep for final season
The South Carolina coaching staff had been waiting. All the tools were in place, but Xavier Legette just hadn’t put it all together yet.
Oh, there were flashes. His 100-yard kickoff return to open the game against Texas A&M will long be remembered by the Gamecock faithful. But the consistency at wide receiver was lacking.
Then came the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame. With USC down a couple of receivers, Legette but on an awesome display. He caught a career-high seven passes for a career-high 78 yards and two touchdowns. One of his scores was an acrobatic 42-yard reception that was one of ESPN top plays of the day.
The coaching staff hopes that is a springboard for one of the 10 super seniors on the Gamecocks roster. Legette never redshirted but was granted a fifth year due to the COVID year.
“The way he finished, the game he had against Notre Dame gave him a lot of confidence going into the offseason,” USC wide receivers coach Justin Stepp said. “That confidence has just grown from the way he worked in the winter to way he practiced in the spring. He knows he can play. Hopefully the success he had on special teams last year translates to receiver this year. He was by far the best guy in our room this summer.”
Legette himself knows this is the final opportunity.
“I’m like an underdog in this thing,” he said. “I’m ready to put this thing on display. I put the time in for this. I’m ready for it.”
Legette had 15 kickoff returns for 441 yards last season for a school-record 29.4-yard average. He added 18 receptions for 167 yards and three scores.
Stepp said he’s seen a more mature Legette since the end of last season. He’s bulked up and is 6-foot-3, 227 pounds. Legette will be counted on in the return game again, but he wants to make his mark at the receiver position.
That’s started with a new focus on playing the position.
“The Xavier Legette when I first got here would not have sent a single text message to the receiver group about getting extra work in,” Stepp said. “Every day, even when I was on vacation, I was getting a text from him saying, ‘Hey, we’re getting extra work in at 4:30. Let me know if you want to come.’ He’s not a vocal guy, still, but in his own way has turned into a really good leader for us.”
Legette has taken a lot of the knowledge of the guys he’s played with. Bryan Edwards, Shi Smith, Josh Vann and Juice Wells have played a huge role in his progression. He’s taken a little bit from each of them and tried to make it work.
“I’ve learned a lot from the guys I came in with and even learned from the guys that came after me. I had to learn how to play within my body. That was probably the biggest thing,” he said. “Since I’m a big receiver, I’m trying to work myself like I’m a small receiver. I’m doing things to help my feet. I’m working on going up to get the ball. I want to have a level, consistent season.”
Legette has already graduated with a degree in sport and entertainment management. The ultimate goal is the NFL or one of the other professional football leagues. But Legette does have a fallback plan if that doesn’t work out.
“I would love to become a coach,” the Mullins product said. “I want to coach on a college level. Coach Stepp knows a lot and being around someone like him has really helped me.”
This story was originally published August 9, 2023 at 7:00 AM.