South Carolina got a major boost heading into its SEC opener against Vanderbilt, as senior tight end Brady Hunt has been officially cleared to play, according to Friday’s SEC availability report.
Head coach Shane Beamer had already hinted at the news during his weekly call-in show. “No one wants to talk about the loss of Brady Hunt last week, which was not helpful to our offense,” Beamer said on Thursday. “He’s our starting tight end, does so much for our offense, and he went out on I think the sixth play of the game. He’s done a heck of a job coming back. We thought he may be out for a couple of weeks and he’s going to play Saturday night, so we’re excited to be back as close to full health as we can be.”
Hunt, who was initially listed as probable on Thursday, becomes the most notable returnee for the Gamecocks. Meanwhile, junior cornerback Judge Collier remains the only South Carolina player ruled out, after suffering a knee injury against Virginia Tech that left him in a cast and on crutches. He logged just nine snaps in that contest.
For Vanderbilt, defensive lineman Yilanan Quattara is the lone absence confirmed on the report.
Alongside Hunt, South Carolina will also have Jalon Kilgore, JT Geer, Vicari Swain, Brandon Cisse, Jaquel Holman, and Josiah Thompson available for the weekend. Each missed time in the 38-10 win over South Carolina State due to various injuries. Beamer admitted Hunt was his biggest concern, but the senior’s quick recovery gives the offense a timely lift.
Since this is an SEC matchup, both programs have been required to submit official injury reports throughout the week. The final availability update will be released 90 minutes before kickoff on Saturday.
The SEC introduced the injury-report system last year for football, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball. Schools must designate players as available, probable, doubtful, or questionable in the days leading up to football games, before shifting to available, game-time decision, or out on game day. Penalties for failing to comply range from $25,000 to $100,000 for football, with smaller fines applied in other sports.
Both South Carolina (2-0) and Vanderbilt (2-0) are looking to stay undefeated when they clash Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7:45 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium, with coverage on SEC Network.
