Tyler Bass knows who to credit for helping him become a successful place kicker.

It’s none other than his ‘meemaw’ better known as his grandmother Rebecca Lusk.

She was his biggest supporter at Dutch Fork High where he holds the record for field goals and PATs.

Her support continued at Georgia Southern where she attended every home game while battling breast cancer.

“Seeing her battle through that cancer and those obstacles really gave me strength,” Bass said in an interview.

“She still pushes me. Seeing her in stands at my games really drives me to be successful and make her proud.”

Bass will now get to display his talents in the National Football League.

Last Saturday the Buffalo Bills picked him in the 6th round.

“I’m a @BuffaloBills,” Bass said on Twitter. “Ready to get to work!”

He was the 2nd kicker selected in the NFL Draft. The last time the Bills selected a place kicker was in 2013, ironically, the same year Bass was a member of the Class 4A state champion Silver Foxes.

“TB was a hard worker - a self-made kicker,” Dutch Fork head coach Tom Knotts said. “He set the tone for our whole team and helped establish the tone for what DF Football has become. As far as his kicking prowess, he was automatic - whether it was PATs or field goals.”

The 5-10, 183-pound Bass finished 4 years at Georgia Southern with a 79% of his field goal attempts and was a 3-time All-Sun Belt Conference selection.

He took over the kicking duties in 2017, going 15-19 on field goals and 27-28 on extra points. In 2018, Bass was a 1st-team All-Conference selection when he converted 19-21 field goals and went a perfect 45-45 on extra points. As a senior, he set a school record with 20 field goals and was 36-36 on extra points.

He helped his stock during the Senior Bowl where he was 4-4 on PATs and 2 field goals, including a 56-yarder.

NFL picks 11 players from Clemson, USC

The National Football League used the 2020 draft to collect more players from both the University of South Carolina and Clemson University.

On opening night, Gamecocks defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw was selected 14th overall in the 1st round by San Franciso. The following day, wide receiver Bryan Edwards was picked in the 3rd round by the Las Vegas (formerly Oakland) Raiders.

The next round saw defensive end D.J. Wonnum selected by the Minnesota Vikings.

This past Saturday, senior linebacker T.J. Brunson was selected by the New York Giants with the 24th pick in the seventh round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The 4 selections are the most for South Carolina since 2015.

Clemson University had 7 players picked in the NFL Draft. Linebacker Isaiah Simmons was the highest selected at 8th overall by the Arizona Cardinals, followed at 16th overall by cornerback A.J. Terrell. Wide receiver Tee Higgins was picked in the 2nd round by the Cincinnati Bengals.

Rounding out the Tiger selections were safety Tanner Muse (3rd round - Las Vegas Raiders), offensive lineman John Simpson (4th round - Las Vegas Raiders), safety K’Von Wallace (4th round - Philadelphia Eagles) and Treyman Anchrum (7th round - Los Angeles Rams).