‘Best I have ever coached’: Steve Spurrier Jr. recalls favorite Alshon Jeffery memories

When people ask Steve Spurrier Jr. which player is the best he’s ever coached, only one name comes to mind — Alshon Jeffery.

Spurrier Jr. was the receivers coach at South Carolina when Jeffery played for the Gamecocks from 2009-11. Jeffrey went on to a successful NFL career with the Bears and Eagles.

Saturday, the former Calhoun County standout will have his jersey retired during the Gamecocks’ game against Mississippi State. Jeffery will be the sixth Gamecock football player to have his jersey retired.

“To this day, I say he is the best I have ever coached,” Spurrier Jr. told The State this week. “I get asked in job interviews ‘Who is the best player I have ever coached?’” And I say, ‘Alshon Jeffery.’ They ask why, and I say he is the most talented player I have ever coached, but he also worked the hardest.”

Spurrier Jr., now the offensive coordinator at Tulsa, raved about Jeffery’s work ethic from the time he got on campus to the time he left for the NFL. He said there wasn’t a practice that he didn’t stay behind to have Spurrier Jr. throw to him, whether for 10 minutes or 30 minutes.

Spurrier Jr. also remembers getting a call in the morning from Jeffery the day after a loss to Auburn in which he wanted to know what went wrong and came up to watch extra film with him.

“He had a burning desire to want to be a great player.” Spurrier Jr said. “He wasn’t overly loud, but had a deep desire to be a better player than he was. He would do and say things that most people don’t do or say.

“He wanted to be a better player. He wanted to learn more, catch more balls. He wanted to be the best he could be. … He went beyond the call of duty to be the best he could be.”

A tough recruit

Spurrier Jr. and the USC coaches had to work to get Jeffery to become a Gamecock. USC failed the year before to land the state’s top player in receiver AJ Green, who went to Georgia.

Jeffery committed to Southern Cal during the summer before his senior year of high school. But the Gamecocks staff, which included current head coach Shane Beamer, stayed persistent with him before Jeffery ultimately picked the Gamecocks.

“There was a lot that went into it,” Beamer said during his press conference this week. “I remember being on the phone with him at 1 a.m. the day of signing day. … I am just so thankful he had trust in us.”

Spurrier Jr. said Jeffery was talented but a little “raw” when he got to campus. But he continued to work hard and USC finally “let him go” during a game against Kentucky.

Jeffery finished with seven catches for 136 yards and three touchdowns in a 28-26 win over the Wildcats.

“I remember someone on the headset said that day Southern Cal doesn’t fly over thirty states to come to South Carolina to find a receiver unless they know he is one of the best in the country,” Spurrier Jr. said. “We knew he was special.”

Ready for takeoff

From there Jeffery’s career took off. Jeffery finished with 183 receptions for 3,042 yards and 23 touchdowns during his college career. He is third all-time at USC in receptions, second in receiving yards, tied for first in receiving touchdowns, first in 100-yard receiving games (12), sixth in yards per reception (16.6) and third in consecutive games with a reception (36).

There also were plenty of jaw-dropping catches from Jeffery during his career.

Spurrier said he still has a copy of The State Newspaper of Jeffery’s one-handed catch against The Citadel. There were more highlight reel grabs from Jeffery, including the one where he jumped between two Mississippi State defenders and had his helmet pulled down for the go-ahead touchdown grab in a 14-12 win over the Bulldogs.

Spurrier, who coached from 2020-22 at Mississippi State, said people still talk about that catch. Jeffery also caught seven passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns, including a one-handed catch over Dre Kirkpatrick, in the Gamecocks’ upset over No. 1. Alabama.

“I remember my father saying to Stephen Garcia (quarterback), ‘If everyone is covered, just throw it to Alshon and give him a chance,’” Spurrier said. “He was unique in a lot of different ways. He was a fun guy to coach.”