South Carolina surprises walk-on tight end with scholarship

A week after recording his first tackle of the 2024 season as a special team player, South Carolina tight end Maurice Brown received quite the reward Tuesday.

In his post-practice speech to the team, Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer was lauding Brown’s effort in South Carolina’s win over Kentucky, noting that the 6-foot-3, 252-pound sophomore was running 21 mph down the field on special teams then heading to the sideline and getting on the bike to make sure he stayed loose.

Then Beamer delivered an all-time line.

“Your ass better be running 22 mph to the bursar’s office today,” Beamer said, “to ask for a refund on the tuition you paid this semester because you’re scholarship.”

Brown is the third Gamecock to get on scholarship in the last month, joining linebacker Ronnie Porter and walk-on running back Bradley Dunn who got the good news on Aug. 10. Brown’s scholarship may have been freed up by the departure of wide receiver Ahmari Huggins-Bruce, who left the football team just before the season-opener and enrolled at Louisville.

Brown, a native of Maryland, saw action in the final 11 games of 2023 and really impressed the coaches during the 2024 preseason camp, to the point that Beamer was saying that Brown was going to see the field.

So far, he’s been active on special teams but hasn’t seen much time at tight end, where he’s fourth on the depth chart behind Joshua Simon, Brady Hunt and freshman Michael Smith. But, as Tuesday’s news showed, Brown continues to impress the Gamecocks coaching staff.