Tag: South Carolina state

Eagles sign former Saints WR Shaquan Davis to reserve/future deal

The Eagles signed former Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis, a fan favorite from the 2023 preseason:

The Philadelphia Eagles signed former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Shaquan Davis to a reserve/future contract on Thursday, the team announced. Davis signed with the Saints last year as an undrafted rookie out of South Carolina State, having received more guarantees than many other first-year pros around the league.

Davis spent his rookie year on the practice squad and was sidelined by an injury at one point, but returned to health and was active in practice by the end of the season. But he never got into a game. It was a disappointing showing after he quickly became a fan favorite during the 2023 preseason.

It’s never good for an older team to lose young talent, though you have to wonder how much of this was Davis’ decision. It’s just as possible the Saints chose to let him go. With wide receivers coach Kodi Burns being shown the door, Davis would’ve returned to a very different situation in 2024 than what he experienced in 2023.

The Saints will need to start signing receivers at some point just to fill out the roster. They have only three under contract for 2024: Chris Olave, A.T. Perry and Michael Thomas, whose contract effectively contains a poison pill that will require him to be extended or released in March. Rashid Shaheed will be back as an exclusive rights free agent, but the Saints need to add more players here — fast.

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Saints waive undrafted rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis

The Saints waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Shaquan Davis, risking losing him on the waiver wire | @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints continue to make roster cuts as the latest move was undrafted rookie Shaquan Davis out of South Carolina State, according to Brooke Kirchhofer of NewOrleans.Football.

The 6-foot-5 target became a fan favorite throughout training camp and the preseason. He had seven catches for 101 yards in preseason action. Every year there are players that people love to watch and talk about through camp, but don’t make it to the final roster. Davis is the most recent.

When it came down to it, the Saints didn’t have room on the roster for a big bodied target and opted to go with some more versatile players on the full roster. It should be expected that Davis will go to the practice squad if he makes it through the waiver wire.

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Undrafted rookies Shaquan Davis, Mark Evans II hope to do their schools proud with the Saints

South Carolina State WR Shaquan Davis and Arkansas-Pine Bluff OL Mark Evans II are two must-watch Saints undrafted rookies from HBCU programs, via @southexclusives:

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The New Orleans Saints have never been afraid to dip their toe into the undrafted free agent pool. Sometimes, they’ll even dive head first into it. As of recent, their fondness of undrafted free agents can most easily be seen, but not limited, to defensive tackle. The most prominent undrafted free agents from last year were wide receiver Rashid Shaheed, offensive lineman Lewis Kidd, and defensive back Smoke Monday.

Two undrafted players to watch this year come from the HBCU ranks: South Carolina State wide receiver Shaquan Davis and Arkansas-Pine Bluff offensive lineman Mark Evans. They both stand a chance to make the roster like Shaheed. Let’s look at what they bring to the table.

Both players bring heavy contract guarantees to the table. Davis comes in tied with Vanderbilt linebacker Anfernee Orji for the second-most guaranteed money given out to Saints undrafted free agents. This just shows the level of investment put into these players early. Davis was the lead receiver for the Bulldogs for the past two seasons. Everybody knew where the ball was going in important moments and still couldn’t stop him.

Davis was a dominant force in the MEAC, leading the conference in yards. Standing at 6-foot-5, you’d be surprised at how well he stretches the field vertically. He averaged 20 yards per catch in each of the last two seasons. He has also showcased the ability to rise to the occasion. In the 2021 Celebration Bowl, Davis had his national breakout game against Jackson State while scoring 3 touchdowns and winning MVP recognition in the bowl game.

Evans is the highest-paid undrafted free agent in this year’s class. He was arguably the most dominant offensive lineman in the SWAC for the last two seasons. He went undrafted likely because of poor size (by NFL standards) and athletic testing. Don’t worry, his film with pads on was more impressive than his drills in just shorts.

He spent his collegiate career as a left tackle but will likely move inside to left guard because of size limitations. He played guard at the East-West Shrine Bowl and looked like he possessed good mobility and an ability to get to the second level of the defense. He might need a year to develop into his new position. That’s expected and not an issue because he likely wouldn’t play until next year anyway. With Doug Marrone’s coaching, Evans could turn into one of the players vying to replace Andrus Peat in 2024 or a valuable utility lineman at another spot.

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Several New Orleans Saints rookies among NFL’s highest-paid undrafted free agents

Several New Orleans Saints rookies rank among the NFL’s highest-paid undrafted free agents. Expectations are high for them with rookie minicamp on the horizon:

There’s a lot to be said for hearing your name called in the NFL draft, but in some cases it pays to be patient and reach undrafted free agency. Those seas are turbulent, but there’s big profits to be won from sailing them. Several New Orleans Saints rookies have certainly cashed in this year after hammering out undrafted free agent contracts in the hours and days after the draft.

Once you get into the later rounds, some players may prefer to not be picked at all because of the unique contract quirks that comes with that status. For drafted players, contract guarantees are tied to their draft slot — so a sixth-round pick may only receive a signing bonus valued between $218,000 and $133,000, for example. Seventh-rounders receive even less in guarantees: former South Alabama wide receiver Kawaan Baker, the Saints’ seventh-round selection in 2021, only received $80,076 in guarantees as the No. 255 overall pick.

Not only do undrafted rookies get more guaranteed money, they also may have the luxury of choosing their team if there are competing offers on the table. Last year, the Saints signed returns ace Rashid Shaheed out of Weber State to an undrafted free agent contract carrying $222,000 in guarantees. He was the only undrafted rookie to get more than $200,000 in guarantees from New Orleans last season. At least three players have earned that in this cycle. Here’s why the Saints valued them so highly:

New Orleans Saints sign undrafted South Carolina State WR Shaq Davis

New Orleans Saints sign undrafted South Carolina State WR Shaq Davis, via @DillySanders

The New Orleans Saints are signing HBCU alum wide receiver Shaq Davis out of South Carolina State as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL draft, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2.

The wide receiver had his best season in 2022, getting a solid 45 catches for 934 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Bulldogs.

Davis is a large target, coming in at over 6-foot-4 and 216 pounds. He also had a stellar broad jump, but the rest of his testing had him at a 7.56 Relative Athletic Score. The team is giving Davis a contract with fairly large guarantees for an undrafted rookie, showing how badly the they wanted him in New Orleans.

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UNC basketball vs. SC State: Game preview, info, prediction and more

We look at what you need to know for the UNC women’s basketball program’s matchup against SC State this Wednesday.

The North Carolina women’s basketball team will finish their three-game home stand against South Carolina State on Wednesday at 11 A.M. Eastern.

UNC has gotten off to a great start, showing complete domination in both games. They opened the season with an impressive 91-59 win over Jackson State, then three days later dominated TCU 75-48.

Their cohesive ball movement has been working for the program, with their team chemistry being the focal point of the success. In their win over TCU, each player in a Carolina uniform scored and five finished with double digits.

As it stands, UNC is ranked 13th in the Associated Press Top 25 polls, but if they can keep up their play, cracking the top 10 won’t take long.

South Carolina vs South Carolina State Prediction, Game Preview

South Carolina vs South Carolina State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 5 game on Thursday, September 29

South Carolina vs South Carolina State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 5, Thursday, September 29

South Carolina vs South Carolina State How To Watch

Date: Thursday, September 29
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Williams-Brice Stadium, Columbia, SC
How To Watch: SEC Network
Record: South Carolina (2-2), South Carolina State (1-2)
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South Carolina vs South Carolina State Game Preview

Why South Carolina State Will Win

South Carolina State is among the best coached teams the Gamecocks will face. Oliver Pough is a legend with the program, his teams don’t make a slew of big mistakes, and this year’s version isn’t going to give away the ball enough to matter.

The offense has been stalling a bit too much, but the pass rush is fine, the defense keeps the pressure on, and there’s a good group of decent backs to work around starting with Kendrell Flowers.

South Carolina is struggling on both sides of the ball on third downs, the run defense hasn’t bean great, and the offensive line has to be better. However …

– NFL Expert Picks, Week 4

Why South Carolina Will Win

The South Carolina State passing game doesn’t work.

This isn’t the normal Bulldog offense. Flowers and the running game are fine, but there are way too many plays allowed in the backfield – SCSU nets just 2.9 yards per carry – and QB Corey Fields is having problems keeping things moving.

As long as the South Carolina running game can establish itself early on like it did against Charlotte last week in the 56-20 win, all should be fine.

– Schedules, Previews College | NFL

What’s Going To Happen

The South Carolina running game will establish itself early in the conditions.

The bad weather won’t hit quite yet – the game was moved from Saturday to Thursday. However, it’s going to be really, really windy.

MarShawn Lloyd will keep the production going after a big day against the 49ers, Spencer Rattler won’t have to take too many chances with the passing attack, and the defense will take care of the rest.

– CFN Expert Picks, Week 5

South Carolina vs South Carolina State Prediction, Line

South Carolina 42, South Carolina State 6
Line: TBA, o/u: TBA
ATS Confidence out of 5: TBA
South Carolina vs South Carolina State Must See Rating (out of 5): 1.5

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UCF vs South Carolina State Prediction, Game Preview

UCF vs South Carolina State game preview, prediction, and breakdown for the Week 1 game on Thursday, September 1

UCF vs South Carolina State prediction, game preview, how to watch. Week 1, Thursday, September 1

UCF vs South Carolina State How To Watch

Date: Thursday, September 1
Game Time: 7:00 ET
Venue: Bounce House, Orlando, FL
How To Watch: ESPN+
Record: UCF (0-0), South Carolina State (0-0)
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UCF vs South Carolina State Game Preview

Why South Carolina State Will Win

This is a very, very, dangerous Bulldog team that’s as strongly coached as anyone on the UCF slate.

Head coach Buddy Pough has another strong team that’s going to be in the mix for the MEAC title – QB Corey Fields, RB Kendrell Flowers, and WRs Shaquan Davis and Will Vereen are all dangerous – the defense has the front that can get into the backfield and the playmakers to take the ball away.

This should be an improved UCF team, but it’s filling in some spots up front, it needs to transfers to play big roles on a defense that needs to step up at linebacker, and …

Why UCF Will Win

UCF’s running game is going to be a problem.

The offensive front that wasn’t great in pass protection is build to blast away, and it has a healthy and ready-to-roll Isaiah Bowser at running back and Ole Miss transfer John Rhys Plumlee who can move.

The Knights aren’t going to take a ton of big chances here. Yes, South Carolina State will be solid this year on the defensive front, but it should wear down a bit as the game goes on.

On the other side, be shocked if the UCF defense that was decent last year isn’t a whole lot better. Yes, it’s relying on new parts to improve and add depth, but it won’t get pushed too much. The Bulldog O has talent, but it’s going to need to take a slew of chances to get things moving deep.

– Week 1 Schedule, Predictions, Game Previews, Thursday & Friday

What’s Going To Happen

South Carolina State will bring the effort, and it’s going to be a tough out, but UCF will take over up front with a 200-yard rushing day. The ground game will take over after the D comes up with a whole slew of third down stops.

There will be a mid-game lull that allows the Bulldogs to make a little noise, but UCF will pull away in the fourth quarter to make the final score look worse than the game will be – at least for about 2.5 quarters.

– All of the CFN Predictions

UCF vs South Carolina State Prediction, Line

UCF 45, South Carolina State 16
Line: UCF -37.5, o/u: 57
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2

UCF vs South Carolina State Must See Rating: 1.5
5: ‘Billie Jean’
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Shipley: ‘I’m so glad I chose Clemson’

Will Shipley certainly wasn’t disappointed when he experienced “the most exciting 25 seconds in college football” for the first time on Saturday. Rubbing Howard’s Rock and running down the hill prior to Clemson’s home opener against South Carolina …

Will Shipley certainly wasn’t disappointed when he experienced “the most exciting 25 seconds in college football” for the first time on Saturday.

Rubbing Howard’s Rock and running down the hill prior to Clemson’s home opener against South Carolina State at Death Valley was even better than the true freshman running back imagined the famed tradition would be like.

“It was definitely more than I expected,” Shipley said following the game. “Just riding around that bus and seeing everybody at the stadium… You really can’t even dream about it. It was something that you’ve just got to see and you’ve got to go through. It was probably the coolest experience that I’ve had since I’ve gotten to Clemson. Just rubbing that rock, running down the hill and going to pray in the other end zone is something that I’ll remember for the rest of my life. I’m so glad I chose Clemson and that I get to partake in that.”

Shipley, who enrolled at Clemson in January after committing to the Tigers in May 2020, went on to have a great day in his Death Valley debut after the pregame pageantry took place.

The former five-star prospect and nation’s No. 1 all-purpose back in the 2021 class had a team-high 80 rushing yards on eight carries and scored his first two collegiate touchdowns in the Tigers’ 49-3 victory over the Bulldogs.

“It was incredible,” Shipley said of finding paydirt twice in front of the home crowd. “Just to get into the end zone here at Death Valley is unreal. That’s really the only way I can explain it. I’m at a loss for words. Both times I got into the end zone (Saturday), I didn’t know what to do with myself. So, I look forward to every time I can get in there and was very blessed to get in there today.”

Shipley recorded his first career touchdown on a 7-yard run in the first quarter, then added his second touchdown of the day on a 13-yard run in the third quarter.

The Weddington, N.C., native became the first Clemson true freshman with multiple rushing touchdowns in a game since Lyn-J Dixon rushed for two touchdowns at Wake Forest in 2018. Meanwhile, Shipley’s 80 rushing yards ranked as the third-best rushing performance for a Tiger against SC State in five games in the all-time series. James Davis rushed for 95 yards in 2008 and Tavien Feaster rushed for 83 yards in 2016.

“He’s been doing what Shipley’s been doing since he got here,” Clemson offensive coordinator Tony Elliott said of Shipley’s performance. “In the spring, he was able to pop some big runs. The biggest thing for him is just he needs repetition. … So, thought he did a good job and found some big runs, ran tough down there on the hill side going in for a touchdown. So, proud of him and just excited to see how he’s going to continue to grow.”

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Bart Boatwright’s Halftime Photo Gallery: Clemson’s return to normal

Clemson returned to a full-capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium in Clemson on Saturday and responded by throttling South Carolina State 35-3 through one half of play. The Tigers scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, including three rushing …

Clemson returned to a full-capacity crowd at Memorial Stadium in Clemson on Saturday and responded by throttling South Carolina State 35-3 through one half of play.

The Tigers scored four touchdowns in the first quarter, including three rushing touchdowns in the frame for the first time in head coach Dabo Swinney’s tenure.

Bart Boatwright also returned to the sideline for his photo gallery from Clemson’s home opener in Death Valley.

Check out his first half photo gallery for The Clemson Insider here: LINK.

Football season has finally arrived. Time to represent your Tigers and show your stripes!