Vicari Swain didn’t wake up on Sunday expecting to be the difference-maker. But by the time the final whistle blew in Atlanta, he was the spark that ignited South Carolina’s season-opening win over Virginia Tech.
The Gamecocks pulled out a 24-11 victory in the Aflac Kickoff Game, though the score hardly reflected how tense the matchup truly was. For much of the contest, South Carolina’s offense sputtered. By the start of the fourth quarter, USC held only a slim 10-8 lead after punting on five of its last six possessions.
That’s when Swain delivered the play of the night. The freshman returned a punt 80 yards for a touchdown, electrifying the Gamecocks’ sideline and turning the momentum at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
“It’s so many Virginia Tech games where offense is ugly and special teams finally says, all right, we’re tired of watching this. We’re just going to go score ourselves, and that’s what we did,” head coach Shane Beamer said.
Ironically, Swain wasn’t even supposed to be in that role. Jalon Kilgore was penciled in as the primary punt returner, but a lingering hamstring issue forced Beamer’s staff to make a last-minute change. On top of that, Swain wasn’t in the starting defensive rotation during pregame warmups, only stepping in after an injury to Judge Collier on Virginia Tech’s opening drive.
The unexpected opportunities paved the way for Swain to make history. His return marked South Carolina’s first punt-return touchdown since Ace Sanders in 2013. On defense, he also added a solo tackle and several key plays.
“It just happened to be me,” Swain said. “I embraced it, and ball came to me, and I scored. It was just that.”
The play itself almost didn’t happen. Initially, Virginia Tech was flagged for an illegal formation, and Beamer had to choose between tacking on five yards after a fair catch or forcing a re-kick. Leaning on advice from an old special-teams coach — not his father, legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer — he rolled the dice on the re-kick.
“I had that voice in my head: ‘Nothing good ever comes after a re-kick,’” Beamer admitted. “So I was thinking of that, but really it was just that. We really feel like we had an advantage on when they punt the football with our people out there.”
Swain, though, trusted his teammates. “I was kind of surprised when he wanted to re-kick, but when I saw they were backed up, the ball was going to be kicked deep,” he said. “I trusted my guys up front to make the blocks.”
His trust paid off, as the return sent Williams-Brice faithful in attendance into a frenzy and shifted all momentum in South Carolina’s favor. Not long after, wide receiver Nyck Harbor sealed the victory with a highlight-reel touchdown catch.
“That was an amazing play by that boy,” Harbor said of Swain. “I was screaming for joy. It might not seem like that, but I’m like, ‘Is he going to get it? Is he going to get it?’ I’m like, ‘Yes! Man, he got it.’”
For Swain, the moment was about more than just one touchdown. It was a confidence boost, proof that he can be a game-changer in 2025.
“I’m just going to give it my best, my all every single time I’m out there,” Swain said. “Make the most of my ability every time I’m out the
