W
Wes Mitchell
Guest
FROM CHRIS:
*** On Monday, we reported on the possibility of Virginia Tech moving on from Justin Fuente and how Shane Beamer would be a candidate to replace him, should that happen.
The Hokies are not the only ones with eyes on Beamer. One quality Group of 5 job, according to a source close to that school's administration, has Beamer at the top of its list for a replacement should the school lose its coach this offseason. Oklahoma's administration, according to industry sources, has been fielding calls from multiple Power 5 power brokers whose programs are considering head coaching changes to research Beamer and express interest.
*** We have written often about the level of support that Beamer has enjoyed among former Gamecock football players and key figures. While a coach will not be hired based on those factors alone, it certainly does not hurt.
GamecockCentral.com recently obtained a copy of a letter from a former Shane Beamer player who, after communications with over 100 former Gamecocks, took the initiative to send a formal letter to Ray Tanner and Bob Caslen. The letter made a case for Beamer’s candidacy and spoke to his character, coaching ability, and fit for the job. Tanner and Caslen both sent responses, per our understanding.
*** For some time – dating back to when Billy Napier turned down possible opportunities at a couple other SEC programs last year – the coaching industry was buzzing about the fact that the former Furman quarterback had eyes on the South Carolina job, should it come open in the near future.
As expected, once it did open, Napier’s name was one that made the initial list and there was immediate mutual interest on both sides. Any coaching search has twists and turns and changes from the beginning stages to the end result, and this one in Columbia has been no different.
We feel comfortable in reporting that Napier has never been the top or leading candidate, but he’s always been in the mix and a part of the discussions. Among the five or so names we most commonly hear in our conversations, he's one of them.
We have been told that Napier has been advised that he could choose to stay where he’s at and wait on another opportunity. Napier is also in a good situation where he is, and doesn’t absolutely have to make a jump at this point.
On one hand, Napier’s camp is still communicating with South Carolina regarding the Gamecocks’ open position as well, so it’s not as if things are dead on that front. On the other, it's not as if there's ever been a guarantee that Napier would definitely be the pick for the Gamecock administration.
*** As a point of clarification, we have been told that university president Bob Caslen has been and will be directly involved in the interview process with candidates.
*** Beamer continues to be the candidate with the most momentum. We can tell you that Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield is another who appeared to still be in the conversation this week as someone that has intrigued the administration. He made our initial Hot Board, although we weren't sure how viable his candidacy would be at the time. On November 17, two days after Will Muschamp's dismissal, we noted that he was indeed part of the conversations.
As we've mentioned before, his name previously came up last year when there was a thought that the Gamecocks job may come open. Satterfield's record at Appalachian State was strong, as was his first season at Louisville before taking a step back this season in Year 2. Satterfield is known to be a great offensive mind and Xs and Os guy, but there's also been a concern of whether or not he and his staff can recruit at the level needed to win in the SEC.
Late tonight, reports have surfaced out of Louisville that say Satterfield will not interview at South Carolina. We will, of course, continue to keep an eye on that situation to see if it's final, since there was interest from Satterfield in the beginning.
*** Army head coach Jeff Monken and his potential candidacy became a hot topic among the South Carolina fan base on Monday, but as we previously reported on two other occasions, Monken is not someone who we've tracked as a lead candidate either then or now.
As we said in one of our early updates, Caslen certainly has an affinity for Monken, who he hired at Army, and it's been possible if not likely that he would get an interview at South Carolina. We know Monken has been interested in this job, as we laid out on Monday morning.
Yet, we'll reiterate what we've had before: while a quality coach and outstanding at Army, he's not expected to be the hire in Columbia, with fit and recruiting as heavy considerations. Just to be clear, this has been the case from the beginning with Monken and is not the result of USC having to pivot after hearing fan dissatisfaction with Monken's name being connected to the job.
*** On Monday, we reported on the possibility of Virginia Tech moving on from Justin Fuente and how Shane Beamer would be a candidate to replace him, should that happen.
The Hokies are not the only ones with eyes on Beamer. One quality Group of 5 job, according to a source close to that school's administration, has Beamer at the top of its list for a replacement should the school lose its coach this offseason. Oklahoma's administration, according to industry sources, has been fielding calls from multiple Power 5 power brokers whose programs are considering head coaching changes to research Beamer and express interest.
*** We have written often about the level of support that Beamer has enjoyed among former Gamecock football players and key figures. While a coach will not be hired based on those factors alone, it certainly does not hurt.
GamecockCentral.com recently obtained a copy of a letter from a former Shane Beamer player who, after communications with over 100 former Gamecocks, took the initiative to send a formal letter to Ray Tanner and Bob Caslen. The letter made a case for Beamer’s candidacy and spoke to his character, coaching ability, and fit for the job. Tanner and Caslen both sent responses, per our understanding.
*** For some time – dating back to when Billy Napier turned down possible opportunities at a couple other SEC programs last year – the coaching industry was buzzing about the fact that the former Furman quarterback had eyes on the South Carolina job, should it come open in the near future.
As expected, once it did open, Napier’s name was one that made the initial list and there was immediate mutual interest on both sides. Any coaching search has twists and turns and changes from the beginning stages to the end result, and this one in Columbia has been no different.
We feel comfortable in reporting that Napier has never been the top or leading candidate, but he’s always been in the mix and a part of the discussions. Among the five or so names we most commonly hear in our conversations, he's one of them.
We have been told that Napier has been advised that he could choose to stay where he’s at and wait on another opportunity. Napier is also in a good situation where he is, and doesn’t absolutely have to make a jump at this point.
On one hand, Napier’s camp is still communicating with South Carolina regarding the Gamecocks’ open position as well, so it’s not as if things are dead on that front. On the other, it's not as if there's ever been a guarantee that Napier would definitely be the pick for the Gamecock administration.
*** As a point of clarification, we have been told that university president Bob Caslen has been and will be directly involved in the interview process with candidates.
*** Beamer continues to be the candidate with the most momentum. We can tell you that Louisville head coach Scott Satterfield is another who appeared to still be in the conversation this week as someone that has intrigued the administration. He made our initial Hot Board, although we weren't sure how viable his candidacy would be at the time. On November 17, two days after Will Muschamp's dismissal, we noted that he was indeed part of the conversations.
As we've mentioned before, his name previously came up last year when there was a thought that the Gamecocks job may come open. Satterfield's record at Appalachian State was strong, as was his first season at Louisville before taking a step back this season in Year 2. Satterfield is known to be a great offensive mind and Xs and Os guy, but there's also been a concern of whether or not he and his staff can recruit at the level needed to win in the SEC.
Late tonight, reports have surfaced out of Louisville that say Satterfield will not interview at South Carolina. We will, of course, continue to keep an eye on that situation to see if it's final, since there was interest from Satterfield in the beginning.
*** Army head coach Jeff Monken and his potential candidacy became a hot topic among the South Carolina fan base on Monday, but as we previously reported on two other occasions, Monken is not someone who we've tracked as a lead candidate either then or now.
As we said in one of our early updates, Caslen certainly has an affinity for Monken, who he hired at Army, and it's been possible if not likely that he would get an interview at South Carolina. We know Monken has been interested in this job, as we laid out on Monday morning.
Yet, we'll reiterate what we've had before: while a quality coach and outstanding at Army, he's not expected to be the hire in Columbia, with fit and recruiting as heavy considerations. Just to be clear, this has been the case from the beginning with Monken and is not the result of USC having to pivot after hearing fan dissatisfaction with Monken's name being connected to the job.
