Will Muschamp isn’t the only Gamecock motivated to show Florida it made the wrong decision. For South Carolina TE Hayden Hurst, Saturday’s game against the Gators means a little more than the others.

“I was trying to come up to pick schools. Florida was one of my choices, but they said they didn’t have room for me,” the Jacksonville native told The State’s Ben Breiner. “So I figured, if they didn’t want me, I could come here and try and play against them.”

Adding insult to injury, Hurst wasn’t even looking for a scholarship:

Keep in mind, that was after his minor league baseball stint, so he was only looking for a walk-on spot.

Not enough room for another walk-on?

“That’s what I was told,” Hurst said.

This season, Hurst has 35 receptions for 426 yards. That’s more receiving yards than all but one Florida receiver (Antonio Callaway), including tight ends DeAndre Goolsby (28 catches, 219 yards) and C’yontai Lewis (10 catches, 123 yards).

Hurst couldn’t be facing the Florida defense at a more opportune time. The Gators will be without starting linebackers Jarrad Davis and Alex Anzalone, meaning the backups will often be responsible for picking up the tight end in coverage.