Ryan Succop’s NFL journey: From Mr. Irrelevant to playing in sport’s biggest game
Ryan Succop landed the title of Mr. Irrelevant when he was taken with the final pick of the 2009 NFL Draft.
On Sunday, Succop could add another title: Super Bowl champion. The former South Carolina standout will be playing on football’s biggest stage as the starting kicker for the Buccaneers, who face the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Succop has redefined the perception of Mr. Irrelevant, a moniker given to the player picked last in the NFL Draft since 1976. Before Succop, only three players picked last played in more than 100 career games. Sunday will be Succop’s 183rd NFL game, 71 more than Marty Moore, who was taken by the Patriots in the 1994 NFL Draft and was the first Mr. Irrelevant to play in a Super Bowl.
Succop has played with the Chiefs, Tennessee Titans and Buccaneers in his 12-year career.
“It has been an amazing 12 years for me. I know the Lord has blessed my career in ways that I could have never imagined,” Succop said ahead of the Super Bowl. “Not just for longevity of it but the people I have been able to play with and relationships I have been able to build, the people who have poured into me in my situation.
“All glory to God for allowing me to experience this situation. Sunday will be very special, and after 12 years I get to play in the big game. Something I feel blessed to be able to do.”
Succop talked this week about how he leaned on his Christian faith and how it helped him during a tough stretch in his final season with the Tennessee Titans. The Titans released Succop in March after an injury-filled 2019 season. The former Gamecock missed the first eight games after a knee procedure and struggled after his return.
Succop was just 1-of-6 on field goals and 24-of-25 on extra points for the Titans before he was placed on injured reserve in Week 15.
It was odd not having a team for the first time in his NFL career, Succop said, but he used that time to get healthy and refocus. He trained with Atlanta Falcons fullback Luke Stocker in Stocker’s garage when COVID-19 hit and gyms were shut down. Succop and Stocker were teammates with the Titans, their families are great friends and they are neighbors in Nashville.
“We kind of fed off each other working out together. And I felt the time away was good, to be honest with you,” Succop said.
Tampa Bay called Succop in late August and brought him and Cody Parkey in for a tryout. Two days later, Succop signed with the Buccaneers on Sept. 1. He has since put together one of the best seasons in his career.
Succop hit on 28 of 31 on his field-goal attempts during the regular-season and is 8 of 8 in the playoffs, including a key 46-yarder in the NFC championship game against Green Bay. He was NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after going 3 of 3 on field goals and 5 of 5 on extra points against Atlanta on Jan. 3.
“You can’t ask for more. He’s committed, he’s a true pro, he brings all the other guys along with him and it’s not with his mouth — it’s by demonstration,” Tampa Bay special teams coach Keith Armstrong said Monday. “He’s a true leader and he’s a serious guy. He takes his profession very seriously. He’s a pleasure because he’s the same guy every day, a true pro, and he’s a pleasure to be around.”
Succop grew up in Hickory, North Carolina. He was a two-time All-SEC selection at the University of South Carolina and ranks 10th on the all-time Gamecocks scoring list. His special teams coach at USC was Shane Beamer, who was hired as the new Gamecocks football coach in December. Beamer told The Los Angeles Times after the 2009 NFL Draft that Succop “wasn’t your typical kicker” and that he had confidence he would have success in the league.
Succop takes a lot of pride in playing for USC and isn’t afraid to let his Tampa teammates know it, especially Bradley Pinion, who played at Clemson and is the Buccaneers’ starting punter.
“Bradley had a Clemson shirt on and I said, ‘Bradley, I love you but that is an ugly shirt,’ ” Succop said. “He is a great friend of mine and teammate. Certainly, we have our Carolina and Clemson differences. But in all honesty, we kind of have fun with it. I am blessed to work with a great teammate like Bradley ... and it has been an amazing situation.”
SC Super Bowl Connections
Kansas City Chiefs
Alex Brown, SC State
Bashaud Breeland, Clemson
Antonio Hamilton, SC State
Rashad Fenton, South Carolina
Chris Lammons, South Carolina
Dorian O’Daniel, Clemson
Sammy Watkins, Clemson
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Running game coordinator Harold Goodwin, Lower Richland HS
Bradley Pinion, Clemson
Kobe Smith, South Carolina
Ryan Succop, South Carolina
This story was originally published February 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "Ryan Succop’s NFL journey: From Mr. Irrelevant to playing in sport’s biggest game."
