Deebo Samuel steps into spotlight for USC

Deebo Samuel has spent two years thinking about the moment he plays his first collegiate game.

He thought it was going to happen last year, but South Carolina had enough wide receivers in 2014 that it could afford to redshirt the 6-foot, 202-pound Inman native. Almost all of those wide receivers are gone now, and Samuel has gone from outside the rotation to near the front of the line headed into 2015.

“Deebo Samuel we think really is going to be a good one,” Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier said.

They are basing that on Samuel’s strong spring practice and the first two weeks of the preseason, during which he has solidified himself as the second option in the passing game behind Pharoh Cooper.

“Every day he is out here, he learns something new, he learns a new coverage, he learns a new defense. I like the way he is playing,” wide receivers coach Steve Spurrier Jr. said. “He’s explosive. He moves fast. He’s a little more confident in what he sees, but he’s a talented young man. I expect good things from him, I really do.”

Samuel caught 61 passes for 1,184 yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior at Chapman High. He finished his high school career with 2,751 receiving yards, 898 rushing yards and 53 touchdowns and chose the Gamecocks over North Carolina, Vanderbilt and Appalachian State.

“We certainly believe that he is a solid player, but he hasn’t played in the real games,” Spurrier said.

Samuel is expected to start at South Carolina’s ‘X’ wide receiver position (split end) but he also could play the ‘Z’ or flanker spot, Spurrier Jr. said. He began preparing for a starting role as soon as the Independence Bowl ended on Dec. 27, he said.

“I’ve been thinking, ‘OK, it’s my turn,’” Samuel said. “In winter workouts, I was trying to separate myself in conditioning and lifting weights so I got bigger, faster and stronger.”

Samuel teamed with sophomore cornerback Chris Lammons to run routes in pass skeleton drills in the offseason.

“I haven’t found any weak spots. He’s a good receiver. Strong, fast, great hands, good route running,” Lammons said. “I think he’s going to have a big year this year.”

Everyone seems to think that, which might seem daunting to some young players. Samuel isn’t worried, though, he said.

“The pressure is on, but I don’t take it as that,” he said.

Instead, he just imagines Sept. 3 in Bank of America Stadium against North Carolina over and over in his head, he said. He hasn’t come up with any scenarios for how his first game might go, he said.

“It’s excitement,” he said. “That’s really all it is.”