Luke Doty did not walk Nov. 23 for South Carolina’s senior day, a strong indication he’d be back on the Gamecocks’ roster in 2025. Doty confirmed that decision Sunday: He’ll return to South Carolina for the 2025 season, which will be his sixth year at USC. “Absolutely,” Doty said when asked after bowl practice if he’d be a Gamecock again for one final season.
Doty, who came to South Carolina as a four-star quarterback out of Myrtle Beach High in 2020, has switched positions and seen his playing time decrease almost every year … and, still, he wants to remain on Shane Beamer’s football team. Heading into the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against Illinois on Tuesday, Doty has appeared in 11 games for South Carolina (starting one) with just three catches for 17 yards. So many players in Doty’s position would have hit the transfer portal 10 seconds after the regular season ended.
And, yet, he’ll return to South Carolina as a leader in the locker room and a phenomenal teammate. He will be the only member of South Carolina’s 2020 recruiting class still on the 2025 roster. “It’s great to have Doty here,” said special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis. “He’s gonna be a guy who’s gonna help us out throughout for sure.”
Doty, who will earn his master’s degree in May, said his goals for a sixth and final season and the same they’ve been throughout his entire college career.
“Just continue to be me, be who I am on a day-to-day basis,” he said Sunday, “a great teammate a guy that’s going to show up every day and be consistent. No matter what it is, whether I’m playing receiver, quarterback, running back, special teams, offense, just being consistent and being the best version of myself every single day, putting myself and my teammates in the best position to succeed.”
Doty is also one of the most visible athletes at South Carolina. He has NIL deals with Midas, local apparel company Granger Owings, Columbia-based Goings Law Firm, a Myrtle Beach clothing store called Native Sons and hosts his own podcast through The Garnet Trust called “Whole 9 Yards with Luke Doty.” While NIL money can influence players leaving their school, it’s part of the reason Doty keeps sticking around. Though he admitted “money is in high demand right now with the way things are going,” he added: “I’m not all about the money. It’s never been about the money for me. I came in 2020 when this whole thing was just an idea. I came to school because it was a place that I loved and knew I could get a great education and set myself up for 40 years down the road.
“With the NIL stuff, it’s all about the relationships you make with whoever you’re dealing with,” he continued. “That’s how I’ve always felt about it. It’s not always about how much you’re getting paid. It’s how that can affect your life later on.” Doty will graduate in May and joked that he’ll have to take “golf or yoga” in the fall semester to stay eligible. “Being able to come away with two degrees from this university is something I’m extremely grateful for,” he said.
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