South Carolina football commit Jayden Sellers shines in return after ACL injury

Jayden Sellers’ smile said it all after the game.

The South Florence senior receiver definitely was in good spirits after he played his first game in almost a year last Friday night against rival West Florence. The South Carolina commit finished with seven catches for 125 yards and a touchdown in a win for the second-ranked Bruins.

“I feel like all my hard work paid off,” Sellers said in a postgame video interview with the Florence Morning News. “At first I was nervous but once I caught my first ball, I was on go.”

Sellers tore his ACL during the sixth game of the season last year on a kickoff return against Hartsville and missed the rest of the year. South Florence made it to the Class 4A championship for the second straight year, losing to Westside on a last-second touchdown.

The State talked with Sellers last month at SC PrepRedzone media day about the injury and the rehab process.

“I juked the kicker and someone fell on my back and I felt it pop,” Sellers said last month. “I knew I tore my ACL. I could feel the pop going through my body. I was in shock.”

After the initial shock wore off, it was surgery and then attacking the rehab process to get back on the field by this season.

“I took it seriously,” he said. “I feel like I am 100%.”

Sellers saw what his older brother LaNorris, who will start at quarterback for South Carolina on Saturday, went through his junior season after a season-ending injury. Jayden will be in the stands at Williams-Brice Stadium to watch his brother’s first career start in the home opener vs. Old Dominion.

LaNorris dislocated a bone in his chest and missed most of the season in 2021. The next year, LaNorris returned and helped South Florence to a 15-0 season and school’s first state championship.

In the title game against Northwestern, the two brothers hooked up for a 39-yard touchdown pass in the win over the Trojans.

“Jayden has done a great job with his rehab and I am very excited to have him back,” South Florence coach Drew Marlowe said. “We lost his brother his junior year and he came back even better so we are keeping our fingers crossed. The thing is with Jayden, anytime he touches the ball he can score. For us as coaches, we have to make sure he touches the ball 15 or 16 times a game.

“We will be creative in how we get him the ball. It won’t always be throwing. It will be motioning him out of the backfield, catching the snap at quarterback. Having a guy like that on your team is essential in trying to win a state championship.”

Jayden was the first commit for the Gamecocks for the Class of 2025 when he pledged to USC in October 2023. A three-star recruit and the No. 16 player in the state of South Carolina per 247Sports , he’s part of a talented receiving commitment group that includes four-stars Lex Cyrus and Brian Rowe.

“He is explosive enough and has put on 10 pounds,” Marlowe said. For him, it’s getting back comfortable and playing. He will be a great player on the next level.”

South Carolina Football 2025 commits

A look at how some of the Gamecocks’ commits fared to the starts to their seasons:

Taeshawn Alston, DE, Vance County (NC): Had six tackles and a loss in a win over Rocky Mount.

Lex Cyrus, WR, Susquehanna Township (Pa.): Had six catches for 74 yards in win over Penn Hills.

Kendall Daniels Jr., S, Maury (Va.): Season begins Sept. 6.

Donovan Darden, DE/LB, Havelock (NC): Had five tackles, two for loss and a sack in win over Wallace-Rose Hill.

Jaquavious Dodd, DL, Eastside: Had seven tackles, two sacks, three pass breakups and fumble recovery in win over Southside.

AJ Holloway, LB, Buford (Ga.): Had 16 tackles, four QB hurries in win over Benedictine.

Jaquel Holman, RB/LB, Blackville-Hilda: Had 17 carries for 54 yards in loss to Barnwell.

Damarcus Leach, DB/QB, Abbeville: Rushed for a touchdown and threw one in win over Southside Christian. Leach finished with 43 yards rushing on eight carries and was 2-of-7 passing for 32 yards and a TD. He had one tackle on defense.

Brian Rowe, WR, Jay M Robinson (NC): Had five catches for 115 yards and a TD last week in a win over Hickory Ridge.

Kobby Sakyi-Prah, DE, Roswell (Ga.): Had one tackle in a win over Peachtree Ridge.

Shedrick Sarratt, OL, Gaffney: Season begins this week.

Jayden Sellers, WR, South Florence: Had seven catches for 125 yards and a TD in the season opener against West Florence last week.

Caleb Williams, DE, Matoaca (Va.): Season hasn’t started yet.

Cutter Woods, QB, Westside: Threw three touchdowns as Westside held on to defeat Creekside (Ga.), 30-27. Westside is off this week.