South Carolina football returns to Williams-Brice Stadium on September 5, 2026, when the Gamecocks host Kent State at 12:45 p.m. to open the season — exactly 84 days from now. As the countdown continues, it’s worth looking back at one of the more storied players to wear No. 84 in garnet and black: wide receiver Jermale Kelly.
From Berea to Columbia
Kelly arrived at South Carolina as part of the 1996 recruiting class, coming off a standout senior season at Berea High School in Greenville that earned him South Carolina’s Mr. Football Award. A Greenville native and former standout at Berea High School, Kelly is best remembered by Gamecock fans for making the catch on an iconic play known simply as “The Fade.” But before that moment etched itself into program lore, Kelly spent four seasons quietly building one of the more impressive receiving careers in school history.
He took a redshirt year to adjust to the college game, then announced himself in emphatic fashion as a redshirt freshman. That breakout season saw Kelly haul in 43 receptions for 618 yards and find the end zone 10 times — a freshman touchdown record at South Carolina that still stands, trailing only the single-season marks posted by Sidney Rice and Deebo Samuel on the program’s all-time list.
A Career Built on Consistency
The numbers dipped somewhat in subsequent seasons, but Kelly remained a reliable presence on the outside throughout his time in Columbia. He logged over 2,100 receiving yards and 19 touchdowns across his career, and averaged more than 14 yards per catch over four seasons. His final career totals of 150 receptions, 2,136 yards, and 19 touchdowns place him tied for fourth in program history in receiving touchdowns, eighth in career catches, and ninth in career receiving yards. He also caught at least one pass in 34 consecutive games — a streak that tied Sterling Sharpe for the USC record at the time — and is one of just four Gamecock receivers to post four seasons of at least 350 receiving yards.
The Play That Defined a Legacy
As accomplished as his four-year career was, Kelly’s name will forever be synonymous with a single moment. On September 23, 2000, Erik Kimrey relieved an injured Phil Petty at quarterback on fourth down late in the fourth quarter against No. 25 Mississippi State. Kimrey threw a single pass: a 25-yard touchdown on a fade route to Kelly for the win. South Carolina defeated Mississippi State 23-19 at Williams-Brice Stadium — and the play was forever dubbed “The Fade.”
The moment came with the Gamecocks trailing 19-13, facing a fourth-and-10 from their own 25-yard line with the game — and much of the season’s momentum — hanging in the balance. Kimrey’s perfectly placed throw to the boundary found Kelly just in front of the goal line, and he stepped into the end zone to give South Carolina the lead for good. It remains one of the most replayed plays in modern program history and a defining highlight of the Gamecocks’ eight-win improvement from the 1999 to 2000 seasons.
The bond forged from that era clearly endured. Kelly himself reflected on the lasting connections from that team: “We always keep in touch. All the players keep in touch. Not so often, but we do keep in touch. I hear from Kimrey whether he’s coaching, he’s out of football clinic or whatever the case may be. It’s a family bond. You’ve got people from all over the place. And to play there for four years, and meet new people, you become like brothers. And that’s the way it should be. And that’s what we continue to make it. We’re still a family.”
Life After Carolina
Kelly went on to play professionally in NFL Europe, suiting up for both the Berlin Thunder and the Rhein Fire. Despite the challenges of his college career, Kelly said he wouldn’t change his decision to play at South Carolina: “I have some friends that we sit around and talk to and they’ve asked me if there’s anything I would change about going to the University of South Carolina, and I wouldn’t.”
He has since remained in the Palmetto State and moved into coaching, most recently serving as wide receivers coach for the JL Mann Patriots in Greenville.
Bottom Line
Jermale Kelly’s four seasons at South Carolina produced numbers worthy of a top-ten spot in multiple program receiving categories, but it’s one fourth-down fade route in the fall of 2000 that cemented his place in Gamecock history. As the program counts down to its 2026 opener, No. 84 remains a jersey number associated with one of the most memorable catches Williams-Brice Stadium has ever witnessed.
