Best South Carolina football players: Modern-era Mount Rushmore – From Rogers to Clowney

John Abraham

While John Abraham likely doesn’t get as much recognition as other notable pass rushers who played for South Carolina, that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the greatest to ever play for the Gamecocks.

Abraham’s football career is a unique one in that it didn’t really begin until he started playing college football. According to the University of South Carolina, Abraham played a single season of high school football. But he ended up playing for the Gamecocks from 1996-1999.

And on top of playing for the Gamecocks, Abraham actually ended up becoming a remarkable pass rusher for South Carolina. Despite his lack of football experience prior to playing college football, Abraham racked up 23.5 sacks in his career.

During his career as a Gamecock, Abraham led South Carolina in sacks each and every season. That sort of consistent success put Abraham’s name in the South Carolina football record book and he’s currently fourth all-time in sacks. During his senior season, Abraham was named All-Southeastern Conference.

Abraham took what he learned at South Carolina and went on to be drafted in the first round by the New York Jets in 2000. He played for three different NFL teams over the span of 15 seasons. During that stretch, Abraham made it to five Pro Bowl appearances. In total, Abraham tallied 133.5 sacks in the NFL before retiring.

All things considered, that’s not bad for a guy who played football for just one year in high school. Abraham was a truly special player for South Carolina.