Furman football mourns the loss of defensive tackle Bryce Stanfield

No. 97 Furman defensive tackle Bryce Stanfield (Sept. 19, 2002-Feb. 9, 2024)

 

 

In the college football world, the first Wednesday of February is routinely celebrated as national signing day. For Furman football, it was not only signing day, but it was also the final day prior to the start of spring practice. And it’s always a big week leading up to the football game everyone watches—the Super Bowl. 

Somehow all that seems trivial now. 

The date of February 7, 2024, would end up being a very different day for Furman football. It’s one that will leave an indelible imprint on the minds of Furman’s coaches, players, and the parents and family members of rising senior defensive lineman Bryce Stanfield for all the wrong reasons, as it would be the beginning of a 48-hour period that would have a tragic end.

The silver lining in the span was the tremendous outpouring of support from football programs throughout the country, as well as the Furman family with encouraging words spoken and fervent prayers for a miraculous end offered up to heaven.

Stanfield collapsed in Wednesday during a team workout which he was not participating in. 

He had been bothered an upper body injury following the season.  The medical emergency Stanfield suffered during Wednesday morning’s team workout forced him to be hospitalized where he was placed on life support. 

A little over 48 hours later, Stanfield tragically passed way at the age of 21. It’s unclear of Stanfield’s cause of death at this time.

Furman, which was slated to begin practice Feb. 8, has postponed its spring football activities.

The Paladins are coming off a 10-3 season, which ended in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs, and there was a buzz heading into spring drills, despite the fact the Paladins graduated so much of what was the Paladins deepest advancement In the FCS Playoffs in 18 years.  

All that now is unimportant, at least for the time being. 

I wish I would have gotten to know Bryce Stanfield better, and sometimes faces get lost in the crowd. Furman had a lot of smiles during the 2023 season, and according to coaches and teammates, Stanfield had one of the best. 

I remember him in moments though..Like seeing him passing as Furman celebrated its 2023 win at Samford with loud music blaring in the locker room. Truth is, I could have interviewed any and all of the defensive line and, heck the whole defense that day. 

I just remember seeing his great smile coaches and teammates were referring to just outside the locker room. Stanfield and Jack Barton looked about as happy as they might have as got that one gift they had always wanted as a kid on Christmas morning. 

Stanfield had two tackles and a sack in Furman’s 27-21 win over the league defending champs on that afternoon. He was part of a unit that had no stars and celebrated its strength and identity as one mean unit each and every Saturday. It appears that Stanfield and Barton loved the intimidating look of eye black, and they were every bit as intimidating inside the lines as that face paint might indicate.

Off the field though, it’s been said by many that Stanfield was the kind of young man that dedicated himself to spending time with others.

As far as football is concerned, one would assume Stanfield was excited about 2024, and with good reason. He was one few veterans returning, and figured to in line to be a starter after serving as a key reserve along a defensive front that was one of the best in school history relative to the massive changes in the game to enhance offensive production in all ways.

The native of Acworth, GA., was conferred his Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences magna cum laude by Furman President Dr. Elizabeth Davis Friday morning in front of family members, teammates and coaches. He was a three-year letterman. 

By all accounts, Stanfield was a pleasant young man and was an individual dedicated to doing the right things on and off the field, as well as his dedication in the classroom. 

He was a two-time All-SoCon Academic Honor Roll selection and named to the most-recent SoCon Fall All-Academic Team and College Sports Communicators Academic All-District squad.

Stanfield was a member of Furman’s Heller Service Corps Men of Distinction, as well as in his free time visiting patients at the Greenville Children’s Hospital, while also reading to children at various local elementary schools

I remember the first time I saw Stanfield's impact as a member of the Furman defense, as it was homecoming of the 2021 season, and Furman hosted 13th-ranked and eventual Southern Conference champion East Tennessee State was in town for a key home tilt. 

In what would wind up being a 17-13 loss to the Bucs, Stanfield posted four tackles, including a pair of sacks. It was a glimpse of a Paladin defense front that had both talent and depth in a 2021 season that saw the Paladin defensive front riddled with injuries. 

Despite suffering a foot injury that brought a premature end to his season the following week against Chattanooga after only eight games, Stanfield would end up finishing out his season with 19 tackles, 4.5 tackles-for-loss, and three sacks. 

His sacks total helped him rank second on the team and he would garner SoCon All-Freshman team honors despite missing the final three games of the season. 

Stanfield’s presence on the Paladin defensive front, which established itself as one of the top units in the nation in back-to-back playoff appearances over the course of the next two seasons, and helped the unit  post 69 sacks and 186 tackles-for-loss over the past two seasons.

The Paladins got so good along the defensive line the past two seasons by building depth, getting reps to understudies along the defensive front, allowing the Paladins to platoon the defensive front without having little drop-off when the starters were subbed out for a play or two a series. The reliability and talent of a player like Stanfield were what truly made the Paladin defensive front seemingly fresh the entire game, which wore on opposing offensive lines.

As a sophomore in 2022, Stanfield logged action in all 13 games in what was a 10-3 season for the Paladins, as he saw time at both defensive end and defensive tackle. He finished the campaign with 17 tackles and 1.5 sacks.

During the 2023 campaign, Stanfield was a key member of a Paladin defense that ended the season leading the league in total defense for the first tine in two decades, as the Paladins led the SoCon in total defense (316.0 YPG), scoring defense (18.2 PPG) and rushing defense (96.9 YPG).

Furman’s 38 sacks during the regular-season were a program record, and in the Paladins’ 27-21 win at Samford in early October, Stanfield was an instrumental part of an FCS season-high nine sack performance by the Paladin defense, as he posted two tackles and and one of those nine sacks. 

Stanfield was an integral part of a Furman football team that won its 15th league title and first outright crown in 33 years. Furman’s season came to an end in Missoula, MT, with a 35-28 overtime loss to eventual national runner-up and No. 2 seed Montana in the FCS Quarterfinals.

Stanfield finished the 2023 season with 13 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and 2.5 sacks.

Memorial service arrangements have not been made.

Please keep praying for the Stanfield family as well as all involved with the Furman football program.

Information about the ceremony by Dr. Davis to confer Stanfield’s Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences Friday morning, as well as other academic information and volunteer opportunities the rising senior participated in and organizations he was a member of was provided by Furman University athletics.