Stephen Garcia

Stephen Glenn Garcia (born February 15, 1988) is a former collegiate American football quarterback for the University of South Carolina. Garcia had a 20–14 record as a starter for the Gamecocks. He completed 7,597 passing yards including 47 touchdowns and 41 interceptions. He also rushed for 777 yards and 15 touchdowns. Garcia was suspended five times during his college career and ultimately dismissed from the football program midway through his final season of eligibility. He currently works as an independent quarterback coach in Tampa. College career Freshman Although a highly touted recruit, during his first semester on campus in the Spring of 2007, Garcia was suspended twice from practice after being arrested for public intoxication and, later, keying a professor's car. These charges were dropped after Garcia made restitution to the professor and completed a pre-trial intervention program. The following Spring, in March 2008, Garcia and two teammates were arrested and cited for underage drinking. That same evening, Garcia pulled a fire alarm and discharged a fire extinguisher in his dormitory. No formal charges were filed but, as a result of these incidents, Garcia was suspended from the university. After his reinstatement, as a redshirt freshman in the Fall of 2008, Garcia started three games for the Gamecocks. He was named SEC Freshman of the Week for his performance in a 24–17 victory over Kentucky (169 passing yards and 1 touchdown in a half of play). Garcia finished the 2008 season with 832 passing yards, 6 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. He also accounted for 198 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Sophomore In 2009, with Garcia as their starting quarterback, the Gamecocks had a 7–6 record and made an appearance in the PapaJohns.com Bowl. Garcia posted four 300-yard passing games (Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Arkansas) with victories over two Top-25 opponents (Ole Miss and Clemson). The Gamecocks victory over the Rebels was the second defeat of a Top-5 opponent in program history. In the regular season finale against rival Clemson, Garcia passed for 126 yards (3 touchdowns, 1 interception) and rushed for 46 yards. For the 2009 season, he passed for 2,862 yards with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, adding 186 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.