1. Notes from Gamecocks' three new coaches
South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer announced seven of his football hires on Sunday as he brought on three new coaches and retained four assistants from Will Muschamp's staff.
Below is one note each from the three new coaches:
• Special teams coordinator/associate head coach Pete Lembo
A veteran special teams coordinator and former head coach, Lembo brings experience, leadership, and loyalty to the staff - all key values for an assistant and associate head coach under a first-year head coach.
From an associate head coach title perspective, Lembo says his job is to be there to do whatever it is that Beamer needs, whether it's taking over a meeting while he has to be elsewhere or loading the team on the bus.
From a special teams perspective, Beamer said if he couldn't hire the best, then he was going to coach 'Teams' himself. But Beamer believes he has the best in Lembo.
Lembo prefers to take a 'holistic' approach to special teams and says his job is to connect with every single player and coach in the building.
"If I'm doing my job well, all of our players, from the walk-ons to the top recruits, will become better football players. I really believe there's a direct correlation between what we teach on special teams and their offensive and defensive positions. It's really Football 101. My goal is to help every position group on the team, if I can.
"Once the players make that connection, it's almost like an epiphany, and the real growth can take place. Before you know it, the sum is greater than the parts."
• Offensive line coach Will Friend
Friend joins the South Carolina staff after three years at Tennessee. But the real takeaway from his bio is his time spent with Mike Bobo both as his offensive coordinator at Colorado State and as his o-line coach at UGA where the two combined to create some really successful offenses.
Friend, like any o-line coach, hopes for the Gamecocks to have a physical football team and he believes that starts with his position.
"No matter what you do offensively, your physicality starts with your group up front," Friend said. "We want to be physical; we want to be a tough football team. We want our leadership to come from the offensive line. If your leadership is coming from the offensive line, you're probably going to be led the right way."
• Tight ends coach Erik Kimrey
The former Gamecocks QB, Hammond School coach and Gamecock Central columnist, joins the program and now has his dream job.
Kimrey, who won 12 state titles at Hammond, grew up an avid South Carolina fan before walking on to the program under Brad Scott in 1998 and then playing for Lou Holtz.
Kimrey will look to impart his passion for the program on the current players and the prospects he's recruiting.
"It was really emotional for my whole family because it has been a dream for a while and it worked out," Kimrey said. "We certainly had our celebratory meetings, had some friends over to celebrate, but now I'm ready to work. That's the biggest thing for me, is I can start calling recruits and start telling them why they should come to the University of South Carolina."
- Wes Mitchell |
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