I’ll never forget discovering GamecockCentral.com.

Growing up, I wasn’t really into college sports. I was more of an NFL, NBA kid. That’s what was on the TV growing up. Being from Anderson, I was generally surrounded by Clemson and Georgia fans. While neither of those segments was able to capture me, there wasn’t exactly a wealth of Gamecocks around, either.

It wasn’t until high school, when I took a visit to South Carolina’s campus with my friend, that I began to understand.

My buddy’s sister went to Carolina and invited us down to Columbia. The Georgia Bulldogs were in town. Troy Williamson took a slant 64 yards for a touchdown. Ko Simpson picked off David Greene and took it to the house. The fans in Williams-Brice Stadium were losing their minds.

The second half didn’t go as well. The Gamecocks would go on to lose a heartbreaker, 16-10.

It didn’t matter to me.

I was hooked.

From there, I started really paying attention. I looked online for websites with information on USC sports and recruiting and came across a cool website run by someone named Brian Shoemaker.

I was a poor college kid, but I just had to get the premium subscription anyway. The information was too riveting, the message boards too entertaining.

From a computer in my Whaley’s Mill apartment on USC’s campus, I perused recruiting profiles and discussed with friends all the four-star prospects who were definitely going to be the next stars in Columbia.

I could have never predicted that that website would allow me to be employed just a few years later.

And I couldn’t have dreamed that I would still be here 15 years after that.

The plan at USC was to finish undergrad and go to law school, but I had always enjoyed writing. My first job out of college was as a legal assistant for a criminal defense attorney.

I was so deep into the world of Gamecock sports that I began to do some freelancing. I sometimes did this in the middle of my duties helping to defend the wrongfully accused. The first football story I ever wrote online was a piece on South Carolina’s special teams, coached at the time by Shane Beamer.

I had opened up a conversation with Shoe about possibly doing some part-time work for him. One day, he sent an email that went something like this:

“Actually, I’m going to have a full-time position open.”

I was surprised, mainly that he would want to talk with me about that job. Nonetheless, an interview was set.

The meeting took place in – almost hilariously now – the Whitney Hotel.

Somehow, I got the job.

I think it’s most likely because some guy named Wes Mitchell was under contract elsewhere and Shoe couldn’t hire him.

Either way, I was in. And boy, was I clueless.

On top of getting married in just a few months and needing to buy a house, I also needed to really learn how to do this job that Shoe had hired me to do. I was stepping into a competitive market with little experience. The vast majority of USC fans would have no clue who I was, and for good reason.

I had a little runway before I would officially start, but I got to work behind the scenes. I cold-called potential sources and worked on building relationships. I tried to absorb and learn what I could, but I had a long way to go.

That first summer, I covered one of Steve Spurrier’s summer camps. Spurrier, who was brilliant but sometimes aloof, ran across me. When he found out I was with the media – even though the camps were open to everyone including media – he nearly kicked me out. Then-quarterbacks coach G.A. Mangus stood nearby, watching it all and trying not to laugh.

Not all was smooth at the beginning. Plenty of other things happened in those early days that were not funny. Many lessons were learned the hard way.

I onboarded at a fun time. Spurrier was recruiting a running back who could revolutionize the team in Marcus Lattimore. The Gamecocks made the SEC Championship game for the first time ever the second year I covered the program.

Before college football got all paranoid, we viewed entire preseason practices. I sat in my tailgating chair on the old Proving Grounds, watching Alshon Jeffery go against Stephon Gilmore in practice.

Clowney arrived. The team won 33 games in three seasons and beat Clemson for five straight seasons.

A couple years later, Spurrier left. It happened unexpectedly at the end of a Monday night practice. Wes – who had by then joined us at GamecockCentral – and I worked to run down the story, beaten barely by a national reporter.

We covered the hiring – and firing – of Will Muschamp, then the search that led to Shane Beamer.

I’ve had a chance to hear the funniest, craziest stories. I’ve been fortunate to break some stories. I’ve been beaten on a bunch of them, too.

There’s not much, by the way, like the thrill of chasing a big scoop and being able to publish it.

That feeling still pales in comparison to the joy from the relationships I’ve been able to form because of this job. I’ve met people I never would have otherwise met in these 15 years. I am very thankful for all those folks and to everyone who’s done so much for me professionally and personally. It seems almost silly sometimes that this is how I get to make my living.

The people that I need to thank the most are the ones that are reading this.

A lot has happened in 15 years. The football team has won games and lost games. Recruits have committed, decommitted, transferred, and even transferred back. On a personal level, I’ve had two children, lost my dad, and gone through more of the real world stuff that gets all of us at one point or another.

Through all of, GamecockCentral has been a constant. You all have been there.

When I published my first Insider Report 15 years ago today, you gave me a chance.

When I stepped away for a bit in the summer of 2022, you all were waiting when I came back.

A couple of years before that, none of us knew if we would even have jobs for much longer, because sporting events were on halt. You stayed subscribed, and we’re still here.

To everyone who has logged on to GamecockCentral.com to read one of our stories, I appreciate you.

For all of our subscribers – many of you far predate my arrival here – the fact that you trusted us enough to join is the reason I get to have this incredible gig.

I hope I can have it for a while longer.

[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]