South Carolina has seen 3 head coaches but plenty of talent over the past 10 seasons.

The obvious positions were at defensive line and wide receiver, however, if Gamecocks faithful were picking an all-time great at quarterback, many would start with Connor Shaw, because of his production, grit and toughness.

There are plenty of contrasts between the Steve Spurrier, Will Muschamp and Shane Beamer eras, but one constant was pass catchers and pass rushers. It doesn’t seem to matter which season you pick, the Gamecocks usually had at least a couple of each.

Here are the 10 most important players from the past 10 seasons (2012-21):

Jadeveon Clowney

A ferocious pass rusher, Clowney was the third player in school history (Warren Muir and George Rogers) to be named a first-team All-American twice. In his sensational 2013 season, Clowney made 40 tackles including 11.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He finished 2nd in school history with 47 tackles for loss and 3rd with 24 career sacks. He holds the school record with 9 forced fumbles.

DJ Swearinger

Swearinger just sneaks into this list, as his decorated career ended in 2012. A big-time hitter as a defensive back, and one of the team’s top playmakers. He played in 52 of the 53 games over 4 seasons, including 33 starts, and produced 244 tackles with 6 interceptions.

Pharoh Cooper

A versatile playmaker on special teams and as a wide receiver, Cooper was a huge part of the offense and passing game, as he in 2015 ranked 2nd in the SEC with 81.1 receiving yards and 5th with 5.5 catches per game. Cooper caught 35% of the team’s passes for 39% of the yards thrown, and his 66 receptions were more than the rest of South Carolina’s wide receivers’ combined total of 56. In terms of all-time greats, Cooper’s 66 catches were the 7th-highest single-season total in school history, while his 973 receiving yards was the 6th-best mark.

Connor Shaw

A no-brainer selection here, Shaw was the heart and soul of some of the best Gamecocks teams in recent memory. Shaw ended his career as the winningest quarterback in school history, as he posted a 27-5 career mark as a starter, including a perfect 17-0 record at home. Shaw completed 63.4% of his passes (180-for-284) in 2013 for 2,447 yards with 24 touchdowns and just 1 interception. Shaw also was a finalist for the Unitas Award and a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award.

Skai Moore

Another All-SEC selection, Moore made 348 career tackles, which ranked 6th in program history, and he finished his career with a share of the school record with 14 career interceptions. A tackling machine, Moore may be most remembered for posting a career-best 15-tackle performance against Clemson, one of three double-digit tackle efforts he tallied in 2017. What’s more, he became just the 15th player in FBS history to lead his team in tackles in 4 seasons.

Hayden Hurst

A matchup nightmare, Hurst was named a permanent team captain for 2 teams. He finished his career 2nd among tight ends for career receiving yards with 1,281, behind only Danny Smith’s mark of 1,336. Hurst was especially effective against Georgia, and once set a career-high with 93 receiving yards on 7 catches in Athens. Hurst also broke the school record for receptions by a tight end with 100, as he passed Danny Smith’s 78 catches from 1984-87.

Deebo Samuel

Perhaps the most versatile player in the program in the past decade, Samuel was dangerous as a special teams performer and a wide receiver. He earned All-SEC and All-America recognition and made 86 career receptions for 1,194 yards and scored 28 career touchdowns (16 receiving, 7 rushing, 4 by kickoff return and 1 fumble recovery). He even threw a touchdown pass.

At the end of his career, Samuel ranked 8th in receptions (148), 10th in receiving yards (2,076), tied for 9th in receiving touchdowns (16), tied for 4th in touchdowns scored (28) and 8th in all-purpose yards (3,257).

Javon Kinlaw

An All-American defensive tackle in 2019, Kinlaw was a key interior lineman his last 2 seasons in 2018 and 2019 after the JUCO transfer dropped about 40 pounds after his arrival in Columbia. In his final season, Kinlaw was credited with 18 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. He also forced 3 fumbles and recovered 4 fumbles, deflected 10 passes and made 7 quarterback hurries with 3 blocked kicks.

Bryan Edwards

Edwards finished his career as a record-breaking wide receiver who set the school records for consecutive games with a catch (48), career receptions (234) and career receiving yards (3,045). He solidified South Carolina as WRU when he finished his career 3rd in school history with 22 career receiving touchdowns, 1 behind Sidney Rice and Alshon Jeffery. Edwards led all Power 5 schools and was 3rd among all Division I receivers in career receptions and career receiving yards. Impressively, Edwards logged 8 career 100-yard receiving games.

Kingsley Enagbare

One of the best pass rushers of the Muschamp era, Enagbare was a 2-time All-SEC selection who made 24 career tackles for a loss, including 15 sacks, with 19 quarterback hurries. A permanent team captain from the 2021 team, Enagbare in 2020 got off to a great start in the season opener against Tennessee with 2.5 tackles for a loss, 2 sacks and a forced fumble with a career-high 9 tackles.