Sidney Rice’s South Carolina legacy is getting another spotlight.
The former Gamecock wideout and Super Bowl champion was named Thursday to the 2026 SEC Football Legends class, a group the league will honor during its annual “Weekend of Champions” in Atlanta on Dec. 4-5. Rice is one of 16 former SEC standouts selected for the class, which includes Heisman Trophy winners, national champions, All-Americans, All-SEC picks and NFL veterans.
Rice starred for South Carolina from 2004-06 and still owns the school record for career receiving touchdowns with 23. After redshirting in 2004, he wasted no time making his mark in 2005, opening his career with a school-record eight straight games with a receiving touchdown. He finished that season with 70 catches for 1,143 yards and 13 touchdowns, leading the SEC in both receiving yards and touchdown catches while earning Freshman All-American honors and First Team All-SEC recognition.
He kept rolling in 2006. Rice caught 72 passes for 1,090 yards and 10 more touchdowns, which pushed him past Sterling Sharpe for the school’s career receiving touchdowns record. That season brought him Second Team All-SEC honors, and his five-touchdown outburst against FAU on Sept. 23 broke another South Carolina record while tying an SEC mark for receiving touchdowns in a game.
Rice went on to become a second-round NFL draft pick, going 44th overall to Minnesota in 2007. His pro career stretched seven seasons across the Vikings and Seahawks, and he finished with 243 receptions for 3,592 yards and 30 touchdowns.
His best NFL season came in 2009, when he was named Second Team All-Pro, earned his first Pro Bowl selection and posted 83 catches for 1,312 yards, which ranked No. 4 in the NFL, along with eight touchdowns. He was also part of Seattle’s Super Bowl XLVIII team in 2013.
Rice retired in 2014 because of injury. Since then, he has continued to collect honors, including induction into the University of South Carolina Association of Lettermen’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2016 and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2022.
The SEC will recognize the full 2026 class at the Legends Celebration presented by T-Mobile on Friday, Dec. 4, at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. The group will also be honored before the SEC Championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Saturday, Dec. 5.
The 2026 class features Alabama’s Nick Saban, Arkansas’ Felix Jones, Auburn’s Benji Roland, Florida’s Chris Doering, Georgia’s Mark Richt, Kentucky’s Randall Cobb, LSU’s Patrick Peterson, Ole Miss’ Tony Bennett, Mississippi State’s Darius Slay, Missouri’s Sean Weatherspoon, Oklahoma’s Billy Sims, Tennessee’s John Henderson, Texas’ Ricky Williams, Texas A&M’s Sam Adams and Vanderbilt’s Casey Hayward.
Rice is the latest name added to South Carolina’s list of SEC Football Legends, joining a long line that includes George Rogers, Alex Hawkins, Sterling Sharpe, Todd Ellis, Bobby Bryant, Rick Sanford, Harold Green, Robert Brooks, Jeff Grantz, Dick Harris, Dan Reeves, Warren Muir, Willie Scott, Duce Staley, Brad Edwards, Tommy Suggs, Andrew Provence, Brandon Bennett, Ko Simpson, Max Runager, Sheldon Brown, Andre Goodman, Travelle Wharton, John Abraham, Eric Norwood, Fred Zeigler, Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore, Corey Miller and Connor Shaw. No SEC Football Legends class was named in 2020 or 2021.
In Other News...
South Carolinas Return Game Just Put Nyck Harbor On Notice
South Carolina made a noticeable tweak on special teams against Mississippi State, turning its kickoff return duties from Nyck Harbor to Jaquel Holman during the game. The switch was not a surprise in the sense that both players have been in the mix this season, but it did add a little more clarity to how the Gamecocks are evaluating the role as the year goes on.
Special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley said Holman has shown improvement and brings a fearless approach to returning kicks, which helps explain why the staff wanted to see him in that spot. Holman has averaged 23 yards on four returns this season, while Harbor has averaged 19.3 yards on four returns, leaving South Carolina with at least one more interesting decision to sort through as the return game develops. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Is Still Chasing A Defensive Line Target To Watch
South Carolina is continuing to work the board on the defensive line, and 2027 prospect Gehrig Felix has emerged as a name worth watching. The South Alabama commit made a visit to the Gamecocks for their game against Kentucky, where he met with coaches and spent time talking through how he could fit into Travian Robertsons defense.
Felix has been productive this senior season, with 19 tackles and four for loss in six games, and that kind of early impact is exactly why South Carolina remains interested. For the Gamecocks, the visit was another chance to make a pitch to a player already pledged elsewhere, and the next steps in that evaluation will be worth tracking. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Is Suddenly Facing A Dangerous Spot Before Its Brutal Stretch
Floridas upcoming run is getting attention for all the wrong reasons, and the Week 6 pick against South Carolina only adds to the unease. The broader upset trends through Week 5 suggest underdogs have not been cashing in at the usual rate, especially in Group of 6 versus Power 4 games, but this matchup still stands out because of how the two teams have looked and what each side has coming next.
South Carolina has its own questions to sort through, but the Gamecocks are being viewed as the side better positioned to take advantage if Florida is even a little off. One wrinkle worth watching is Dylan Stewarts status, with his suspension situation still listed as TBA, leaving one more piece of the puzzle unresolved as the Gamecocks line up for a game that could say plenty about both teams. [Read more 🡒]