On the last game of every football season, my high school football coach, Don Savage, would separate the seniors from the rest of the team in the postgame huddle. He would make them stand off to the side, and he would address them.
"You are now all has-beens," he said. "You used to be players, but now you're has-beens. We love you and we're going to miss you, but as far as this team is concerned, you're a bunch of has-beens."
When the clock finally strikes zeroes in Death Valley, there will be a group of has-beens leaving the field for Carolina. The Gamecocks will be saying goodbye to some of their, quite literally, most memorable players of all time.
There's No. 11, senior wideout Kenny McKinley. McKinley sits atop the Carolina record books in nearly every receiving record possible. McKinley has not played in a game without getting a catch since Sept. 10, 2005. McKinley has the most yards and most catches and is tied for the second most touchdowns in Gamecock history.
No one would have expected such performance from McKinley out of high school. At South Cobb High School in Stone Mountain, Ga., he played almost every offensive down of most of his career as a quarterback. Possibly the most surprised person of all would be McKinley himself.
"I was just expecting to come out [to USC] and be a good football player, to be a good receiver," McKinley said. "Fortunately I turned out to be the all-time leading receiver."
On the other side of the ball, one of the quiet leaders on USC's defense who is close to becoming a has-been is senior middle linebacker Marvin Sapp. Lost among names like Brinkley, Norwood and Cook is Sapp. Throughout the season, USC coach Steve Spurrier has often lamented the fact that Sapp was not redshirted his freshman year, a testament to how much the Gamecocks will miss seeing No. 53 on the field next year.
For a numerical reference to Sapp's impact, one need look no further than the fact that he is third in tackles on the team and second in solo tackles. Not only did the team feel Sapp's presence this season, but the Gamecocks relished it last season when Sapp filled the larger-than-life shoes of senior middle linebacker Jasper Brinkley by finishing fifth on the team in total tackles and third in solo tackles.
However, Sapp did not quite know what he was getting himself into when he considered joining Spurrier's squad coming out of high school.
"I didn't know much about the Gamecocks before Coach Spurrier was hired," Sapp said. "I didn't really know anything about them. [Former recruiter] Rick Stockstill, he educated me a lot about the things that were going on here and how great a school is and its potential, and coach Spurrier and what he's expecting. That's how I really got talked into the hype and going."
Another familiar face the Gamecocks are going to miss is senior running back Mike Davis. Davis, who has been a constant in the USC backfield since the first game of the Spurrier era, will be playing in his last Carolina-Clemson game.
Beyond his talents in the backfield, Gamecock Nation will miss Davis's performances in the annual Battle for the Palmetto State. Davis averaged more than five yards per carry in each of his first two Carolina-Clemson appearances before taking a backseat to former Carolina running back Cory Boyd in last year's matchup. In Davis's two big games when he combined for nearly 200 yards, it appears that Davis lived up to his style in each of those games.
"I go out there in every game and play like it's my last," Davis said. "I cherish every memory because you only have so many games you get to play."
There was a second part to coach Savage's speech, though. After addressing the has-beens, the former seniors, he would address the rest of the team by their new status, the juniors as seniors, the sophomores as juniors and the freshmen as sophomores. He would outline what he expected from each class in their elevated status on the team.
Carolina is no different. Even though the Gamecocks will certainly miss the level of play and the personality of each of its former players, USC is more than ready with other talent.
Stepping in the shoes of McKinley will be redshirt freshman receiver Jason Barnes. To fill Sapp's, sophomore linebacker Cliff Matthews will be stepping up, and in Davis's will be freshman Eric Baker. While many players may fear that the players who replace them will taint their legacy, these soon-to-be Gamecock has-beens can't wait to see what their replacements can do.
"[The underclassmen] are going to have a way better team, a way better offense then we have right now," McKinley said. "Jason Barnes, he's already stepped up, but he's a player. He's a player."
"Cliff Matthews is an excellent guy," Sapp said. "I kid with him a lot, but he's a good guy, he works hard. He's aggressive, he's a playmaker and he's definitely a better catcher than I am. He can only get better."
"USC has always had good players," Davis said of his teammates. "I think their future is bright."
Reflection and reverie into the future can be entertaining and exciting at a time like this for some players. However, don't let the nostalgia of these seniors fool you. McKinley speaks for the group when he says how important a win at Clemson would be for these seniors.
"It'll be big time," McKinley said. "It'll be an eight-win season, and we're talking about Clemson, but you win this one, you've got a chance for a nine-win season. So hopefully we can take it to Clemson and get that eighth win."
Nonetheless, time rolls on, and soon enough it'll be out with the old and in with the new. The has-beens will move on to their future. The underclassmen will become the upperclassmen, and before Gamecock Nation realizes it the Garnet and Black game will be upon USC.
While some Gamecock fans will remember these players, some may forget. Still, these Gamecock players will never forget. After four years under the bright lights, Davis, McKinley and Sapp can't quite see a future without some Carolina football in their life.
"I feel pretty good about my stay here," Davis said. "It's been great to come out and play in front of thousands of people."
"I'm a Gamecock for life now," McKinley said.
"This is my family now," Sapp said.
Maybe, after all, coach Savage was wrong. Maybe, or at least in the case of USC seniors, being a has-been makes a player much more a part of the team than he ever was.
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