Gamecocks Place Four on Coaches’ All-SEC Squads

The University of South Carolina was represented by four players on the Coaches’ All-SEC teams, announced by the Southeastern Conference office today.

Wide receiver Antwane Wells Jr. and punter Kai Kroeger earned spots on the Coaches’ All-SEC first-team unit, while offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn and long snapper Hunter Rogers were named to the All-SEC second team.

Wells, a 6-1, 207-pound junior from Richmond, Va., leads the Gamecocks with 63 receptions for 898 yards and six touchdowns. He ranks second in the SEC in receiving yards per game at 74.8 and is third in receptions per game at 5.25. He also has cracked the school’s all-time single-season list in both receptions and receiving yards, ranking 10th in both categories. Wells was recognized as the Steve Spurrier Most Valuable Offensive Player at the team’s Senior Banquet and was named to the Associated Press’ All-SEC second team earlier this week.

Kroeger, 6-4, 207-pound junior from Lake Forest, Ill., was a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award. He averaged 46.8-yards per punt, tops in the SEC, second in the country and the second-best mark in school history. Of his 52 punts, 17 traveled 50 or more yards, including a long of 79, the third-longest in FBS in 2022. Twenty-seven of his punts (52 percent) were spotted inside the 20-yard line. He was also named to the All-SEC first team by the AP and was recognized as the Jim Carlen Most Valuable Player for Special Teams at the team’s Senior Banquet earlier this week.

Gwyn, a 6-3, 300-pound redshirt senior from Charlotte, N.C., started all 12 games for the Gamecocks at right guard in 2022 and has made 46-consecutive starts, most on the squad and third on the school’s all-time list behind only T.J. Johnson (53) and Brandon Shell (47). Gwyn garnered the Outstanding Student-Athlete Award, the Strength & Conditioning Award, the Most Outstanding Senior Award and was named a Rex Enright Team Captain for the second-straight year at the team’s Senior Banquet held earlier this week.

Rogers, a 6-1, 205-pound redshirt sophomore from Columbia’s Spring Valley High School, handled both the short- and long-snapping duties for the Gamecocks this season. He was part of a punting unit that helped Kai Kroeger lead the conference in punting at 46.8 yards and the team rank second in the SEC and fifth in the country in net punting at 43.27 yards per punt. In addition, Rogers was the snapper working with first-year placekicker Mitch Jeter, who was successful on all 10 of his field goal attempts in 2022. Rogers added three special teams tackles and rushed five yards for a first down on a fake field goal attempt.

The Gamecocks (8-4, 4-4 SEC) will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 30, when they travel to Jacksonville, Fla. to face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish (8-4) in the 78th edition of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl. Game time is set for 3:30 pm ET and the contest will be televised nationally on ESPN.