There may be no one more excited about South Carolina’s kickoff return success this season than A.J. Turner.
There are several reasons for that. Deebo Samuel’s two kickoff returns for touchdowns have helped the Gamecocks to a 2-0 start, which is great for Turner, a sophomore running back on the team. Turner is also part of the kickoff return team as Samuel’s fellow deep man and so far has been a key blocker in the scheme, which brings a sense of personal accomplishment. And then there’s the fact that Turner figures he’s going to get even more chances to return kicks the rest of the season because he can’t imagine anybody kicking one to Samuel again.