Local running back with big numbers set to walk on at South Carolina
Nathan Harris-Waynick had a big senior season and now will get a chance to play college football at South Carolina.
The Sumter High School running back announced Monday night that he will walk on for the Gamecocks. Harris-Waynick said he received the walk-on offer from coach Shane Beamer eight days ago.
“This is my dream. It means everything to me. My family are Gamecocks fans, so it’s a big deal from all of us. I am just ready to go and compete and earn my way,” Harris-Waynick said.
Harris-Waynick’s other offers were from The Citadel and Northern Illinois. He visited USC last year for a game and said his family attends South Carolina’s home games but didn’t this year because of COVID-19 and limited attendance.
Harris-Waynick, 5-foot-10 and 210 pounds, rushed for 1,168 yards and 18 touchdowns this season. He had 175 yards and a score against state champion Dutch Fork in the Class 5A Lower State championship.
For his career, he rushed for 3,237 yards and 49 touchdowns.
Harris-Waynick has overcome more than most kids his age to get to this point in his career. His story was documented earlier this year on WACH Fox about how he lived in and out of Crosswell Home for Children for seven years until he was 12 years old.
In 2014, Harris-Waynick began living with Tripp and Wendy Waynick. The couple officially became his legal guardians in February. Just this past February, the Waynicks officially became his legal guardians.
“They’re backing me up (through) everything I do,” Nathan told WACH Fox’s Mike Uva..”I’m just glad for that. It means everything.”
This story was originally published December 21, 2020 at 11:12 PM with the headline "Local running back with big numbers set to walk on at South Carolina."
