Quarles announces he will enter the NFL Draft

The correct decision, although it would have been nice if he stayed. If he plays like he has the past few games he could play his way into the first round.

Would love for him to land in Dallas :fingerscrossed:

Yeah, like I said.

Heard this morning reports aren't true. Doesn't mean he won't go, but nothing official

IF the NFL advisory panel comes back with a Top 3 round grade, I think he'll leave. We probably won't know if he's leaving or not until he gets his paperwork back.

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IF the NFL advisory panel comes back with a Top 3 round grade, I think he'll leave. We probably won't know if he's leaving or not until he gets his paperwork back.

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I dunno. He's sort of different, in a good way. But he'll have all the info in front of him to make his decision very early.

Kelcy comes across as a big lunk sometimes, but the guy is very intelligent and his Dad is guiding him closely.

I've known Buddy and Mattie for years, although we rarely see them anymore since we moved on this side of Lake Murray and closed our business on the other side where they would frequent. I met Ben Coates through them as well, that's Kelcy's uncle. Then you've got two other Gamecock alumni influencing him as well in Dennis Thomas and KC Hendrix, both of whom coached him at Greenwood. Plus he still talks to DJ a lot and I've been told by DJ's Grandmother, who I see practically every week, that DJ is encouraging him to stay.

The whole family is big into loyalty and tradition and doing things the right way - and Kelcy is probably our most connected legacy player in history quite honestly.

But then there is that one little nagging problem that I believe is weighing heavy on his mind from what I understand - and that is the issue he witnessed with Lattie and coming to grips with the chance of risking injury his senior season should he decide to return.

I still believe he is going early - he almost has to quite honestly. He would not improve his draft status greatly by returning for another year and that's the pragmatic take on all of this that his family will even have to admit to in the long run. He'll go in the first three rounds this year. Could he go in the first two rounds next year, even in the first round? Sure, but doubtful. His ceiling, as a college player, is going to be somewhere in the mid-Second round and mid-Second next year vs mid-Third this year is not much difference because you get into the system a year early and your money goes up sooner than waiting until next year to go.

I hope he does return though because putting aside what a good player he is, he's also a leader and a solid human being and why he doesn't go down as one of our finest Gamecocks ever ... well, he should. He just hasn't gotten the press that others have received but he sure deserves it.

I think he'll soon marry his girlfriend too - and she is a great athlete in her own right. They are going to produce some serious future Gamecocks for us for future teams. We're just very fortunate to have a kid, along with his family, of their quality in our system.