College football: 25 biggest what-ifs of the 2010s

College football: 2010s biggest what-ifs: 21. No more health issues for Deebo Samuel

South Carolina has seldom produced top-tier talent. On even rarer occasions, the Gamecocks were a title threat. With that said, for four years, they had the ultimate weapon in wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

The results with Samuel were simple, when he played they won…a lot. When he didn’t, they struggled.

Despite being a big, strong, physical player – Samuel has shown that his body has a hard time dealing with the physical punishment that either college football or the NFL, can bring to the table.

After redshirting in his freshman year, Samuel played in only five games the following season. Nagging injuries, but more specifically a hamstring strain, kept him out of the lineup. He bounced back in 2016 and had his first healthy season. He finished the year with 783 yards but couldn’t keep that momentum going in 2017. On the year, Samuel suffered a broken fibula and was forced to watch from the sidelines again.

Considering that South Carolina was an overall solid team that hovered around .500 but lacked any true explosion from the wide receiver position, Samuel was sorely missed.

Could they have beaten several of the powerhouses such as Alabama and Norte Dame? Doubtful. But they could have given them a run for their money and placed their fanbases on the edge of their seats.