‘He loves contact.’ Physical DB signee Kelvin Hunter ready to contribute for USC
Kelvin Hunter isn’t one to shy away from contact. Jody Jenerette found that quickly as his high school coach.
Jenerette, the West Florence football coach, marveled at Hunter’s ability to be physical — and it’s one of the traits he’s enjoyed watching.
“He just started hitting people. He will hit you in the face,” Jenerette said. “That is something a lot of high school players will shy away from. He loves contact. And when you can run and love contact, that is a great mix.”
Hunter’s physical nature is one of the things that attracted college coaches to him early on in his high school career. One of those schools was South Carolina, which offered him during the summer before his sophomore year.
Other schools ,followed including Michigan and Auburn, but Hunter said he couldn’t pass up playing for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks. He signed with South Carolina this past Wednesday as part of the December signing day.
“It was a no-brainer,” Hunter said of playing for USC. “Coach Beamer has preached saying at home, and that is something that stood out to me.”
Hunter is part of a large in-state signing group that also included Dillon’s Josiah Thompson and Woodland’s Kam Pringle. But he’s the lone defensive player among this year’s in-state signees.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Hunter played linebacker and safety on the Knights’ defense. He played linebacker in the Shrine Bowl and had six tackles in helping the S.C. squad to a 24-0 win over North Carolina. The Gamecocks signed him as a defensive back.
Hunter had a big senior season for the Knights with 86 tackles, three sacks, five forced fumbles, three blocked kicks. On offense, he rushed for 337 yards and five touchdowns.
Hunter also excelled on special teams, which should also be a big plus for the Gamecocks. He blocked three kicks and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
“Safety, linebacker, cornerback, I like to do it all,” Hunter said. “I am just ready to get there, work hard and contribute as soon as possible.”
Jenerette calls Hunter a “hybrid” safety that can cover but also line up near the line of scrimmage to stop the run. He said Hunter will have to work to get better in coverage but knows he will have no problem adjusting.
“He is a super-smart football player, knows and loves the game. He is way too athletic and fast not to thrive in the game,” Jenerette said. “Last month and a half. I thought he was really as good as anyone else in South Carolina. Really stuck his nose in there. He is able to do things that most high school kids can’t do because of his athletic ability. I think signing early will help him adjust and get a leg up on things going into the spring.”
This story was originally published December 26, 2023 at 7:00 AM.
