Gamecock tight end Hayden Hurst has enormous decision looming

BY: TYRIA GOINES

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Gamecock tight-end Hayden Hurst has been looming over the decision to walk off as a junior and join the 2018 NFL Draft. Hurst is also planning on participating in the Gamecocks Senior Day during the match up against Wofford on Saturday, Nov. 18th.

In 2015, Hurst was a former professional baseball player who played in the Pittsburgh Pirates’ organization before walking on to the Carolina football team in the summer of 2015. He played in all 12 games, making one start. He caught eight passes for 106 yards, played at tight end and on special teams early in the season, then moved to wide receiver after the UCF game. He caught his first pass, a nine-yard reception, at LSU and hauled in a career-long 47-yard reception at Texas A&M. Hurst made his first career start and responded with a pair of catches for 12 yards against Florida and was named to the 2015-16 First-Year SEC Honor Roll.

As a sophomore tight end, Hurst was named one of four permanent team captains and set Carolina’s single-season record for catches by a tight end with 48. The previous mark was 38, set by Doug Hamrick in 1970. He was the first Carolina tight end to catch 30 passes since Weslye Saunders in 2009. He also broke Danny Smith’s school record for receiving yards by a tight end (576 in 1987) with 616 and was ranked among the nation’s top dozen tight ends in both receptions and yards receiving.

As of 2017, Hurst is an honors candidate after turning in a record-setting season in 2016. He was named 2017 preseason first-team All-SEC by Athlon. He was selected as a team captain in 2016, becoming the first sophomore in school history to be a permanent team captain. He has 56 career receptions for 722 yards with one score in 25 games, including 14 starts.