Xavier Legette Backs Up Offseason Talk With Performance Against UNC

South Carolina's Football team didn't have much go right against North Carolina on Saturday, but Xavier Legette was one of the biggest bright spots in week one.

Over the course of the offseason leading into the 2023 season, there was a lot of talk surrounding multiple different players for South Carolina's Football team. As we saw on Saturday night, sometimes it takes time for the hype to come to fruition, but with certain players, it's clear as day that they've made a jump. Wide receiver Xavier Legette certainly fits the latter category in this case.

In thirteen games last season, Legette reeled in eighteen catches for 167 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. In just his first game of the 2023 season against the North Carolina Tar Heels, Xavier recorded nine receptions for 178 receiving yards, essentially half the receptions from last Fall and a new single-season career high in receiving yards.

Some people would poke at those facts, but they shouldn't because Xavier Legette proved in Charlotte that he can be not just a consistently reliable target for Spencer Rattler, but he can be a No. 1-type receiver and help pick up some of the slack when a guy like Juice Wells is banged up and needs the help. The Gamecocks haven't two clear cut top wideouts since the 2018 season when they had both Deebo Samuel and Bryan Edwards, two guys who are now in the NFL.

The best about Legette's performance from Saturday is that he did a little bit of everything; making contested catches down the field, getting yards after contact, having patience in the open field. It was a true coming out party for the Palmetto State native, who has shown flashes throughout his career, but has seemingly had the light come on for him.

No, Legette's emergence doesn't alleviate South Carolina's clear-as-day offensive line issues, but it does mean that the Gamecocks no longer have just one dangerous receiving threat that defenses have to worry about. Now, the Gamecocks have a potential two-headed monster at wideout, which makes this passing game automatically tougher to guard against.

You Might Also Like:

• The Halftime Report: South Carolina Vs. North Carolina
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