Star receiver downplays the honor though, calls it a team effort
Alshon Jeffery is the only Gamecock on the front of this week's issue of Sports Illustrated, but he said it was a group effort that made it possible for him to grace the cover of the storied publication.
"It's a great accomplishment," Jeffery said. "But I got to give credit to my teammates, my coaches and everyone that helped me (get) in that position."
Jeffery is one of five players on the cover, along with Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck, Alabama running back Trent Richardson, Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones and Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick. Each player is featured as the cover's focal point depending on geographic region.
Jeffery said he probably wouldn't buy a copy but assumed someone would give him one. The photo shoot with Sports Illustrated took about 30 minutes, Jeffery said, and it seems he hasn't given the experience much thought since that half-hour.
"I'm not real big on something like [being on the cover]," Jeffery said.
Jeffery's appearance on the cover has reignited playful debate among fans and on the Internet as to whether Jeffery is in shape. The junior receiver appears to have a belly in his photo. Jeffery, who said he is trying to lose some weight but is currently at the weight he played at last fall, isn't fazed by the jabs coming his way.
"People are gonna say what they want to say," Jeffery said. "It don't matter to me."
USC is ranked No. 7 by the magazine in its preseason poll, and the covers with Jeffery in the center declare Carolina has "the best Gamecocks team ever" this fall. Jeffery said such lofty proclamations won't create pressure for him or the rest of the Gamecocks.
"Ain't no pressure to me, ain't no pressure to my teammates," he said. "We just got to go out and just play, stay focused, listen to what our coaches say and stick together as a team. Believe in each other."
Jeffery is the first USC athlete to be featured on Sports Illustrated's cover since men's basketball legend John Roche, who was on the cover in 1971.
More Like This
Six posters you'll have in college
By Meagan Blakesley | Feb. 7, 2016Ranking the top Gamecocks in the NFL
By Chris Slade | Aug. 24, 2015