How a former Gamecocks QB is preparing athletes for a future outside of sports
Learning from the likes of Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw when he was at South Carolina, Jay Urich was able to see the importance of development away from the game of football.
Now, the former Gamecock quarterback/receiver is taking what he learned to high schools around South Carolina. Urich is in his second year running the Banner Player Development program, which is designed to impact high school athletes in ways beyond their sport they play and prepare them for life after their sports are done.
“There’s not a lot of people doing it in the state of South Carolina,” Urich recently told The State. “So, that’s kind of where I come in wanting to start something to get ahead of that and develop the athletes beyond sports.
“... I got tired of seeing these horrific stories of athletes when they’re done with sports being lost, and I wanted to do something about it.”
Urich learned first hand about that when his playing career at South Carolina was cut short because of a torn labrum. He stayed on with the program as a graduate assistant and worked with Shaw, who was working at USC at the time, helping with off-field player development.
Urich also started non-proft organization Original Design coming out of USC. But Banner Player Development lets him make a broader impact, reaching schools and athletes throughout the year. Some of Urich’s points of emphasis are finding your identity from beyond the sport you play, modeling student leadership, work ethic and also how to build their brand through social media and other avenues.
Urich said most colleges have some kind of player-development program within their sport and that he is modeling that into high schools.
Urich has already partnered with Ridge View High School in Northeast Columbia and St. John’s Prep in Boston, Massachusetts to provide year-around training to the athletes. If a school doesn’t want the year-around aspect, there could be one session each in the spring, fall and winter.
The Wren High graduate will be hosting his second annual Banner Player Conference on Saturday at River Bluff High School. The free conference is for athletes of all sports across the state, athletic directors and principals to attend and learn from the variety of speakers in the four-hour session.
Some of the guest speakers for the conference include former Clemson/Missouri quarterback Kelly Bryant, former Clemson football player Rashard Hall and former Benedict College QB now QB trainer Ramon Robinson. The keynote speaker is Ole Miss defensive tackle KD Hall, who had one of his legs amputated in a trucking accident.
Some of the topics that will be discussed include: discipline, mentorship, accountability, and what it truly takes to lead at every level.
“What I decided to do was, try to help high school coaches and athletic directors bridge that gap, of that player development,” Urich said. “So we’re going to hear more success stories than the bad statistics of athletes and when they’re done playing sports. We want athletes to know who they are, being equipped with the leadership skills that they need.
“The biggest thing is giving them the strategies, giving the athletes the strategies to model servant leadership, and for them to be an example for them to elevate their teammates, and to positively represent their community.”
This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 9:05 AM.
