USC specialist Mason Love packs on the weight, one burrito bowl at a time
Several South Carolina football players took to social media in July to show off the hard work they’d put in with strength coach Luke Day and his staff.
Multiple players posted before-and-after pictures showing the growth they’ve made in the weight room with their body composition. One who stood out to Gamecock fans was kicker and punter Mason Love.
“75 yd fgs incoming,” one fan said on X/Twitter.
“Is he playing Linebacker this year?” another fan quipped.
When Love joined the team in January 2024, he weighed 160 pounds, according to his post.
“That was him when he first got here. That was my picture when I saw him, when he first got here,” South Carolina special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis told The State. “I was like, ‘What the hell am I going to do with this guy?’ ”
Flash forward to July and Love has added 40 pounds and checks in at 200 pounds (even though the roster lists him at 191).
The key to that weight gain? Eating right.
“I always struggled with really gaining and maintaining weight,” Love said. “I think it was just because my diet wasn’t the best. But coming in, Yimy (Rodriguez) our nutritionist, Coach Day and all the strength staff really brought everything together. I make sure I’m lifting right, make sure I’m eating and fueling my body with the right things.”
As for what he was eating, perhaps Love should reach out to Chipotle for an NIL deal.
“Down in the Vista, the Chipotle … that was definitely a big part,” Love said. “I get Chipotle pretty much every day. That was a big reason on really how I gained a lot of weight. Gotta give credit to them.”
As to what exactly Love orders from Chipotle, he gets a burrito bowl with the following ingredients:
- Double white rice
- Double black beans
- Double chicken
- Queso
- “A little bit” of sour cream
- If he’s feeling hungry, he’ll add a side tortilla and maybe some chips, he said.
DeCamillis gave Love credit for putting on the weight, saying he felt the redshirt freshman was already a good athlete and the added weight will help him even more.
“He’s changed his body. I think the players respect him more for all the work he put in,” DeCamillis said. “It’s going to help him physically. He’s already stronger than he was and he’s gotten better. So hopefully that’ll continue as we go.”
Love said the extra weight has helped him generate more power in his punts and that the added pounds mean he’s placed more emphasis on his mobility.
“I definitely felt more powerful,” Love said. “If you look at the picture of my legs they go from pretty small to a little big, so definitely more powerful. The thing I really needed was, with the weight gain, keeping my flexibility and mobility. Something that I really needed to work on and I had been working on this summer was hip mobility, ankle mobility, hamstring, hip flexor all the small muscles in my legs that really help me generate power.”
South Carolina’s special teams unit is in an interesting spot coming into 2025. They need a new starting holder, kicker, punter and long snapper. As a result, Love could have a big role for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks this season.
USC is replacing longtime punter Kai Kroeger and its kicker from last year as well. That leaves Love in position to challenge for the starting punter, kicker and holder spots. Love said he’s not focused on trying to replace Kroeger, but more so on showing the kind of punter he can be.
“Obviously I see him as a better punter than a place kicker right now,” DeCamillis said. “But I do think that he’s going to have a chance to be a place kicker, too. I just think he needs to be consistent. That’s what he needs to be — and be Mason. Not try to compare himself to Kai, not to try to compare himself to anybody else. Just be Mason and that’s gonna be good enough for us.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2025 at 8:15 AM.
