With the NCAA’s early signing period right around the corner – beginning on Wednesday – we know that our subscribers at GamecockCentral.com are on pins and needles in waiting to find out what Shane Beamer’s staff is going to look like at South Carolina.
This is an area that Beamer has been working on plenty behind the scenes. It’s important, however, to understand the timeline when assessing the availability of new hires. Obviously, a bunch of candidates are still working for other programs. There are basically two hinge points to look for here; one is the end of the regular season (or conference title games) and the other is after early signing day on Wednesday. Look for more significant action to happen on the hiring front after those dates pass.
There are a few current staffers that seem to have an above average shot of remaining on staff in some capacity, Most prominently, we have heard Rod Wilson, Des Kitchings, and Mike Bobo’s names on that front, along with another that we'll discuss below.
As we have mentioned, Connor Shaw is expected to be around the program in some capacity going forward, although an exact determination has not been made as of this time. Shaw ran the Beyond Football program for Will Muschamp prior to moving onto the field once Mike Bobo took over as interim head coach.
It seems that several other hires will sort of flow down from Beamer’s selections at offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.
We can tell you a few of the names that circulated during the hiring process at those slots, all names that have already been discussed online. At offensive coordinator, SMU’s Garrett Riley, the brother of Lincoln Riley, was one, and Mike Bobo was another. At defensive coordinator, UNC’s Jay Bateman was the one we heard most prominently. Some folks within the coaching industry have been downplaying Bateman’s candidacy a bit lately, and we haven’t been able to ascertain the reasoning for that. He did receive a substantial raise from the Tar Heels prior to the 2020 season.
Former Gamecock Chris Rumph is an assistant we’ve heard could be in the mix for a slot on the staff in some capacity. Rumph is currently in the NFL with the Houston Texans and has another year left on his deal, although the Texans’ head coaching situation is obviously up in the air. The chances of Rumph finally making his way back to South Carolina in a coaching capacity depend on a variety of factors and, from what we’ve heard, is certainly not any sort of lock.
Spring Valley alum Travis Williams’ name was circulating on Sunday night within the coaching industry as a possible name to watch as well. Williams is a former Auburn standout, and of course, the Tigers just parted ways with Gus Malzahn. It stands to reason that Auburn’s new coach will take a hard look at retaining Williams, but he’s highly regarded and is someone we may be tracking going forward.
Former Gamecock defensive back Chris Hampton is someone we are monitoring; he’s at Duke and was recognized in 2018 while at Tulane as “35 under 35” honoree by the American Football Coaches Association. Hampton is regarded as a sharp young up-and-comer in the industry. (Note: since this publication, Hampton accepted an offer to return to Tulane as defensive coordinator).
At running backs coach, we are most heavily tracking current position coach Des Kitchings as well as Tennessee’s Jay Graham. The latter previously worked with Beamer for two seasons at South Carolina, and Kitchings has been highly regarded for his work at South Carolina and his overall track record, in addition to the fact that he’s a Palmetto State native.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is in the midst of an offensive coordinator search, and the team also has a vacancy along the offensive line in the wake of John Schlarman’s tragic passing.
Current offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who also worked with Beamer previously at South Carolina, is a candidate in Lexington.
One key hire that Beamer will make is in the realm of strength and conditioning. Former staffer Craig Fitzgerald is a candidate that has certainly been on Beamer’s list, but we’re told that it seems unlikely to happen. Fitzgerald just moved his family up north to New York to work for the NFL’s Giants organization, and he’s paid extraordinarily well there.
Another familiar name that is in the mix is another previous head strength coach at Carolina, and that’s Joe Connolly.
Connolly’s staff in Columbia would likely feature several former Gamecocks, including Byron Jerideau, Shaq Wilson, and Jordan Diaz; the latter works with Connolly at Arizona State while the first two are currently on staff at Tennessee. Connolly led the Gamecocks’ efforts for two of the best seasons in school history in 2012 and 2013 and has kept relationships with many former players such as Marcus Lattimore.
In addition to the two coaches referenced above, Oregon’s Aaron Feld is another name to watch for the position that has been involved with the search.
There’s another prominent industry name that has been a candidate that is too sensitive – based on a variety of factors – to roll out there right now but is someone we can discuss at the appropriate time. Just know that the list goes beyond just the three we mentioned in this space.
Arkansas wide receiver coach Justin Stepp, who was retained by Sam Pittman once he got the job, is a Pelion native with experience in high school and college ball (North Greenville and Clemson) on his resume and is highly regarded for his teaching ability and recruiting acumen. He may be someone to keep an eye on due to his ties here.
We have had plenty of questions about former longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and what his role could be on a Beamer staff in Columbia. I’ll note that we are not sure quite yet and have not heard anything confirmed. However, from what we heard in the early going during the head coaching search process, if Foster were on staff, it would seem to be more in the realm of an analyst or advisory type role as opposed to defensive coordinator or an on-field position coach.
This is an area that Beamer has been working on plenty behind the scenes. It’s important, however, to understand the timeline when assessing the availability of new hires. Obviously, a bunch of candidates are still working for other programs. There are basically two hinge points to look for here; one is the end of the regular season (or conference title games) and the other is after early signing day on Wednesday. Look for more significant action to happen on the hiring front after those dates pass.
There are a few current staffers that seem to have an above average shot of remaining on staff in some capacity, Most prominently, we have heard Rod Wilson, Des Kitchings, and Mike Bobo’s names on that front, along with another that we'll discuss below.
As we have mentioned, Connor Shaw is expected to be around the program in some capacity going forward, although an exact determination has not been made as of this time. Shaw ran the Beyond Football program for Will Muschamp prior to moving onto the field once Mike Bobo took over as interim head coach.
It seems that several other hires will sort of flow down from Beamer’s selections at offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.
We can tell you a few of the names that circulated during the hiring process at those slots, all names that have already been discussed online. At offensive coordinator, SMU’s Garrett Riley, the brother of Lincoln Riley, was one, and Mike Bobo was another. At defensive coordinator, UNC’s Jay Bateman was the one we heard most prominently. Some folks within the coaching industry have been downplaying Bateman’s candidacy a bit lately, and we haven’t been able to ascertain the reasoning for that. He did receive a substantial raise from the Tar Heels prior to the 2020 season.
Former Gamecock Chris Rumph is an assistant we’ve heard could be in the mix for a slot on the staff in some capacity. Rumph is currently in the NFL with the Houston Texans and has another year left on his deal, although the Texans’ head coaching situation is obviously up in the air. The chances of Rumph finally making his way back to South Carolina in a coaching capacity depend on a variety of factors and, from what we’ve heard, is certainly not any sort of lock.
Spring Valley alum Travis Williams’ name was circulating on Sunday night within the coaching industry as a possible name to watch as well. Williams is a former Auburn standout, and of course, the Tigers just parted ways with Gus Malzahn. It stands to reason that Auburn’s new coach will take a hard look at retaining Williams, but he’s highly regarded and is someone we may be tracking going forward.
Former Gamecock defensive back Chris Hampton is someone we are monitoring; he’s at Duke and was recognized in 2018 while at Tulane as “35 under 35” honoree by the American Football Coaches Association. Hampton is regarded as a sharp young up-and-comer in the industry. (Note: since this publication, Hampton accepted an offer to return to Tulane as defensive coordinator).
At running backs coach, we are most heavily tracking current position coach Des Kitchings as well as Tennessee’s Jay Graham. The latter previously worked with Beamer for two seasons at South Carolina, and Kitchings has been highly regarded for his work at South Carolina and his overall track record, in addition to the fact that he’s a Palmetto State native.
Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops is in the midst of an offensive coordinator search, and the team also has a vacancy along the offensive line in the wake of John Schlarman’s tragic passing.
Current offensive line coach Eric Wolford, who also worked with Beamer previously at South Carolina, is a candidate in Lexington.
One key hire that Beamer will make is in the realm of strength and conditioning. Former staffer Craig Fitzgerald is a candidate that has certainly been on Beamer’s list, but we’re told that it seems unlikely to happen. Fitzgerald just moved his family up north to New York to work for the NFL’s Giants organization, and he’s paid extraordinarily well there.
Another familiar name that is in the mix is another previous head strength coach at Carolina, and that’s Joe Connolly.
Connolly’s staff in Columbia would likely feature several former Gamecocks, including Byron Jerideau, Shaq Wilson, and Jordan Diaz; the latter works with Connolly at Arizona State while the first two are currently on staff at Tennessee. Connolly led the Gamecocks’ efforts for two of the best seasons in school history in 2012 and 2013 and has kept relationships with many former players such as Marcus Lattimore.
In addition to the two coaches referenced above, Oregon’s Aaron Feld is another name to watch for the position that has been involved with the search.
There’s another prominent industry name that has been a candidate that is too sensitive – based on a variety of factors – to roll out there right now but is someone we can discuss at the appropriate time. Just know that the list goes beyond just the three we mentioned in this space.
Arkansas wide receiver coach Justin Stepp, who was retained by Sam Pittman once he got the job, is a Pelion native with experience in high school and college ball (North Greenville and Clemson) on his resume and is highly regarded for his teaching ability and recruiting acumen. He may be someone to keep an eye on due to his ties here.
We have had plenty of questions about former longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster and what his role could be on a Beamer staff in Columbia. I’ll note that we are not sure quite yet and have not heard anything confirmed. However, from what we heard in the early going during the head coaching search process, if Foster were on staff, it would seem to be more in the realm of an analyst or advisory type role as opposed to defensive coordinator or an on-field position coach.
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