Demetris Summers was one of the greatest recruits in South Carolina Gamecocks history once upon a time. He was the No. 1 running back in a 2003 class that included the likes of Reggie Bush, and he chose to stay in his home state and play for the Gamecocks.

A career that started off with so much promise ended with his dismissal from the team, and now he’ll find himself behind bars for the next eight years. Summers plead guilty to manufacturing and distributing crack cocaine in Lexington County, S.C., according to a report from The State.

Summers was a dominant high school player who set national records. His totals of 9,076 yards and 127 yards are still yet to be matched in the state. After committing to coach Lou Holtz, he led the team in rushing in 2003 and 2004, being named to an SEC All-Freshman team in his first season. After a regime change, Summers was dismissed from the team in 2005 by Steve Spurrier due to a failed drug test.

In 2008, he told The State, “Marijuana messed up my life pretty much. I feel like if I’d never started smoking I’d be in the NFL right now.”

It appears that his repeated efforts to get clean ended in an ultimate escalation, as it was crack cocaine that would get him sent to jail.