CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Xavier Legette is expecting a big group of friends and family Sunday for his first NFL regular-season game at home. They’ll make up a decent chunk of the crowd at Bank of America Stadium.
“They’re coming about 19, 20 deep,” Legette said with a smile. “There are going to be a lot of ’em.”
The crew making the 135-mile drive from Mullins, S.C., will include Legette’s two sisters, brother, grandmother and other relatives. Missing from the group will be his mother and father, both of whom died while he was in high school.
But Legette said his parents — Anita and Anthony — will be there in spirit when he makes his home debut for the Carolina Panthers.
“I know they’re with me. They’re looking down on me, and I’ve got them tatted on me,” said Legette, who had portraits of his parents tattooed on his stomach before his final college season.
“Everything is always in memory of them,” he added. “Everything I do is for them.”
Legette, the first-round draft pick from South Carolina, was one of the few bright spots from the Panthers’ 47-10 loss at New Orleans in Week 1. Despite not starting against the Saints, Legette caught four passes for 35 yards on seven targets. Legette’s receptions and targets were team highs.
The NFL game did not appear too big — or too fast — for the 6-foot-3, 227-pound rookie wideout.
“It was pretty chill, even keel. It felt like a regular college game to me,” Legette said. “And it’s the same speed to me, as well.”
“Playing in the SEC, we’re playing them dudes every week,” he added. “And it was pretty much the same.”
Panthers coach Dave Canales said there’s a difference between running fast and playing fast, and Legette checked the latter box.
“When young guys get out there, sometimes what can happen is they get paralyzed by the picture moving so quickly. He played fast, he really did,” Canales said. “He gave us a chance on a bunch of plays. Bryce (Young) had a nice couple throws to him in different situations.”
Canales pointed out he’s not yet “crowning” Legette, who needs to clean up the details to develop into a more polished receiver. But it was a good start for a player who became something of a social media sensation in training camp because of his Southern accent and infectious smile.
Xavier Legette said route-running was a big part of his pre-draft training as that was one of the knocks on him. pic.twitter.com/BBUWrutAQI
— Joe Person (@josephperson) May 10, 2024
“Everybody always looked at me as a country guy on the team. So (when) he came in, I just bumped to second place,” said second-year receiver Jonathan Mingo, who grew up in Mississippi.
“(Receivers) coach (Rob) Moore can’t understand him. Every time Legette answers, coach Moore just be looking at him and be confused. We all just start laughing every time he has a question. But he’s cool. He’s got good energy, so a fun guy to be around.”
Legette can trace his country roots to Mullins, a city of 4,026 (according to the 2020 census) southeast of Charlotte on the way to Myrtle Beach. That’s where Legette (pronounced LEE-get) grew up hunting, riding horses and playing sports — from football to baseball to a spot on his mom’s adult-league softball team.
Legette’s mother passed away following a lengthy battle with breast cancer after his freshman year in high school. His father died in his sleep in the spring of 2019, a few months before Legette enrolled at South Carolina.
But his family remains a tight-knit group that lives in close proximity. Legette’s sister, Antia, is still in their parents’ house, located across the street from his grandmother. An aunt lives 12 houses down.
Asked the name of the neighborhood, Legette said: “I’m just a couple miles away from the library.”
Sometime in the next few months, Legette plans to remodel his parents’ house, which already has been rebuilt once following a fire when Legette was in third grade. Legette returned home over Labor Day weekend and attended a Friday night football game at Mullins High. No one announced his presence on the PA system; nor did he want them to.
“Treat me like a regular guy when I come back,” he said. “I just want to be a good example for the younger kids.”
Legette battled injuries early and didn’t blossom until his fifth year at South Carolina, where he used a big game against North Carolina at Bank of America Stadium as a springboard to a 1,255-yard receiving season. The Panthers traded up to draft Legette with the 32nd pick in the first round, hoping his size-speed combination would help Young in the passing game.
After a quiet training camp, Legette showed flashes against the Saints with an 18-yard reception and a 28-yard run-back on his only kick return. Special teams coordinator Tracy Smith liked what Legette brings to the return game.
“He has experience handling the ball, obviously being a returner in college. And he’s an outstanding blocker when he doesn’t have the ball,” Smith said. “So he has the skill set that really molds itself to that position.”
Legette is a physical receiver who takes pride in his blocking, aided by his 355-pound bench press and 525-pound squat. Some draft experts questioned Legette’s route running, but Panthers wideout Adam Thielen said it’s more about Legette recognizing coverages and adjusting to them.
Tight end Tommy Tremble likes what Legette brings to the offensive meetings, even if it was hard to understand him initially.
“And then once he’s been around for a while, you kind of get his mannerisms. You’re not confused anymore. You kind of get what he’s saying,” Tremble said. “And he’s a cool cat, man. I really like him. Works his butt off, too. Funny dude, oh my gosh. But he’s a good guy. We love having him.”
Legette loves the fact that so many family members will be in Charlotte on Sunday, even though they might be spread out in different sections of the stadium. “That’s why I got excited when they drafted me here,” he said. “So my family can be able to come on game day.”
They’re coming. And as Legette said, they roll deep.
(Photo: Perry Knotts / Getty Images)
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