‘Sugar Ray’ Muse? Gamecocks tight end incorporates boxing into daily workouts. | South Carolina

COLUMBIA — Alright, so perhaps he isn’t fairly able to tackle Floyd Mayweather.

But when Mayweather needs to get Nick Muse within the boxing ring for just a few rounds, Muse figures he may a minimum of get just a few good jabs in.

“I don’t assume I’d be excellent at it as a profession,” South Carolina’s fifth-year tight finish deadpanned. “I’d prefer to play soccer so long as doable. Nah, it’s one thing I do for good cardio. My brother received me into it.”

Muse not too long ago visited older brother Tanner Muse, a Clemson alum who now performs linebacker for the Raiders, in Las Vegas. Whereas there, he met one of many trainers for heavyweight bruiser Tyson Fury.

“He confirmed me plenty of nice stuff that a number of the big-time guys are doing. It received me to grasp how onerous that was and to not take it with no consideration,” Muse stated. “I purchased a pair pairs of legit boxing gloves, received some wraps and a 75-pound aqua bag.”

He posted a video to Twitter of himself working the usual heavy bag after which the aqua bag (a spherical water-filled sack a lot larger than an ordinary punching bag) within the basement of his North Carolina residence. The Muse household already had a well-equipped weight room down there, one thing Muse received used to throughout final summer season’s COVID-19 quarantine, so including some boxing tools didn’t take up an excessive amount of house.

Muse has good type. Maybe somewhat stiff within the toes. Sylvester Stallone in all probability received’t be calling to spar anytime quickly.

Nonetheless, the baggage are feeling it the following morning.

“Fairly certain I can nonetheless take him …,” Tweeted his place coach, USC’s Erik Kimrey. “From a diplomatic standpoint in fact.”

Muse has included some boxing right into a every day two-hour exercise, and credit it to dominating (his phrase) a number of the summer season drills. It’s already been nice with the ability to totally compete after being held again final summer season whereas recovering from a torn ACL.

“With these, with figuring out onerous, summer season’s been fairly cake for essentially the most half,” he stated.

That’s music to Gamecock ears, as Muse figures to be a big a part of USC’s offense in Yr 1 of the Shane Beamer period. It’s been talked about earlier than and can be talked about once more, a number of occasions, that USC doesn’t have any established receivers going into the season, together with a quarterback that’s began two video games.

What they’ve is a powerful group of tight ends, led by Muse. And for no matter purpose, when Luke Doty took over as beginning QB for these two video games final season (plus the second half in a 3rd sport), he and Muse fused faster than Christian Bale to his Oscar-winning character in “The Fighter.”

Muse had 17 catches for 239 yards earlier than Doty took over. He had 13 for 186 and a landing after.

Muse blamed himself for speeding again too rapidly from ACL surgical procedure and never being 100% earlier than the beginning of final season, which helped clarify the gradual begin. The moment chemistry with Doty?

“We had been finest buds when he received right here, we had rooms throughout the hallway. He was simply a kind of guys, when he got here in, he knew the way to make the appropriate play,” Muse stated. “We’d meet on the sideline, and I’d say, ‘Rattling, I’m open, what are we doing?’ One thing I may at all times put in his ear.”

Muse’s knee is totally recovered (no extra cumbersome brace), the boxing has helped together with his health and his thoughts is evident after deciding to return. Muse said throughout final season that his determination to return again would depend upon whether or not or not his former place coach, Bobby Bentley, returned. Bentley wasn’t retained by Beamer.

That and solely a so-so grade from the NFL underclassmen advisory committee advised him he’d be making a giant mistake by leaving.

“I wasn’t pondering issues by means of all the best way. I really feel like I’ve an awesome probability of being the No. 1 man this 12 months on offense, particularly within the passing corps,” he stated. “I’ll be extra on particular groups, that are huge issues with scouts and NFL groups. I’d ask why they low-graded me within the late rounds, they requested why I wasn’t enjoying on a regular basis. (The earlier coaches) had been making an attempt to maintain me wholesome.”

Muse’s worth to the Gamecocks goes past what he does on sport days.

“Nick Muse has been excellent this spring. He’s an absolute skilled in the whole lot that he does,” Kimrey stated. “He is aware of just about all people’s positions on this offense, in all probability higher than I do. And he does all of the little issues proper. It’s the whole lot you need in a man that you just coach. Nick does that and he units the instance for the complete room.”

All that’s left is to maintain swinging, maintain punching and maintain aiming on the aim.

Mayweather could also be watching.  

Observe David Cloninger on Twitter @DCPandC.