Love him or hate him, fifth-year senior Stephen Garcia ranks statistically among the top four quarterbacks in South Carolina history.
Yes he has aged us with the stress he has brought to USC football fans. No doubt he made things interesting and highly frustrating at the same time. Do step back and be honest about Garcia as a person. He had talent and did some really good things for the football program in his storied career. With that being said, he never reached his true potential. A glimpse of it was seen against Alabama in 2010 but the mental side of the game is something Garcia could not replicate each week.
The Garcia era at USC is now over. He was 20-14 in 34 career starts and threw for over 7500 yards. Not bad numbers but leaves behind the yearn for what could have been. We must all now rally behind Connor Shaw as a new era has begun in South Carolina football.
Let’s all hope for the best for Garcia. He is human and the young man made mistakes. He made us, the fan, enjoy USC football and at times drove us crazy with bad decisions. Let’s hope he becomes a better person from the experience. It does seem that Garcia has “demons” and needs to find peace in his life and within himself. We here at LOHD wish him success in the next chapter of his life. Thanks Stephen for the memories as a Gamecock.
