ORANGEBURG, S.C. – Bulldogs football fans will be seeing double when home games start this Saturday.
South Carolina State University will have not one but two cheerleading squads to rally the crowd in Oliver C. Dawson Stadium. In his fifth year as Bulldogs cheerleading coach, Byron J. Larrymore has expanded the sport’s roster from 18 athletes to 26 and designated them into teams.
With 16 members, the Garnet Team is a traditional squad of the most experienced cheerleaders who travel with the football team to away games. The Blue Team is a feeder squad filled with 10 members developing their skills for collegiate cheerleading.
“I want to utilize the Blue Team to enhance the game-day experience,” Larrymore said. “That way there’s something going on everywhere in the stadium, not just one section. There will be cheerleaders moving around.”
Larrymore implemented the dual team approach this year having built up the squad’s presence among the Bulldog family in previous seasons.
“I really took time to rebrand the cheerleading program to give it back the household name that it used to have,” he said. “The cheerleaders have pretty much been acclimated, and the university has fallen back in love with the sport.”

SC State junior Levette McRae of Latta is one reason the Bulldog family has fallen back in love with the cheerleading squad. Along with lifts and other traditional moves, you’ll see him turning flips behind the endzone after the Bulldogs score.
“Change is always good,” McRae, one of the squad’s captains, said of the two-squad approach. “There are always pros and cons, but at the end of the day, after we graduate, SC State needs to have a solid foundation that’s going to keep up the tradition.”
A speech pathology and audiology major from Latta, South Carolina, McRae arrived at SC State in Fall 2020 at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which sidelined nearly all sporting events. Larrymore still built the squad, though, and McRae was able to cheer at a football game in the shortened sporting events. Larrymore still built the squad, though, and McRae was able to cheer at a football game in the shortened spring season.
“Coming back the second year it was difficult because we were still having to transition from COVID and had to adjust practices,” McRae said. “So it was kind of hard. We practiced and practiced and practiced and practiced.”
But that’s the life of a collegiate cheerleader. Bulldog cheerleaders are student-athletes, and being on the squad requires as much fitness and agility as any other sport. The commitment to the squad alongside academic pursuits is as demanding as any athletic program on the campus.
Balancing early morning practices, classes, academic assignments, study hours and appearances at games and other university events requires both mental and physical discipline.
SC State senior cheerleader Tianna Murray joined the Bulldogs squad as a freshman. One challenge was learning the “stomp-shake” style of cheerleading that makes the Bulldogs so entertaining.
“We are coming from high school to a college atmosphere and a different experience of cheering,” Murray said. “So everyone has to get used to that. I think it opens up our eyes to learning.”
As for McRae, his cheerleading background includes high school cheerleading as well as competitive cheer with a squad of Florence, South Carolina. He even competed in a national cheerleading competition at Disney World during high school.
“I like the feeling of attention and accomplishment,” he said. “We kind of help the football team out. We are not on the field with them, but we are boosting them. We are building morale.”
He’s also building his own strengths.
“I’ve learned to be more patient with myself,” McRae said. “I’ve learned that you can’t force some things. Some things will come in time. I’ve learned to manage my time, because I’m not just a cheerleader, I’m also involved in other organizations on campus.
“There’s a whole process to figuring yourself out. You might think you know who you are, but after everything is said and done, after graduation, you’ll think, ‘Wow, OK, so what’s next?’” he said.
As a squad captain, he also is developing leadership skills.
“To be a leader, you have to be caring and willing to work with others,” McRae said.
“You have to have the perspective to be patient, because not everyone learns at the same level or the same speed. You have to learn everyone’s personality and adjust.”
Along with coaching the squad, Larrymore serves SC State as office coordinator for Student Life and Leadership and advises both Royal Court and the National Honor Society.
While he never cheered on a squad, his path to being the Bulldogs’ coach began when he helped his aunt with her cheerleading coaching duties at Calhoun County High School. And though he matriculated at Benedict College rather than SC State, he still has a Bulldog pedigree. He attended Felton Elementary School on the university’s campus and several of his family members either graduated from or worked at SC State.
“One of the things I hope my athletes get from here is an experience like no other,” Larrymore said. “Being an SC State cheerleader is something that has a valid legacy and tradition attached to it.
“Presentation is big,” he said. “I always tell my athletes people should always be able to identify you as an SC State cheerleader on campus. Your presence should just ooze that.”