Who is and who isn’t a candidate to be Gamecocks offensive coordinator?
South Carolina wide receivers coach Bryan McClendon is in the midst of a “long job interview” to become the Gamecocks full-time offensive coordinator, and he’s the only in-house candidate for the position, head coach Will Muschamp said Wednesday.
In his first public comments since firing offensive Kurt Roper on Dec. 6, Muschamp revealed what he is looking for from McClendon, who is in charge of the offense for the Jan. 1 Outback Bowl, and that running backs coach Bobby Bentley is not a candidate to the next offensive coordinator.
“I think (Bentley) is certainly capable, but Bryan currently on the staff is the only candidate,” Muschamp said.
Muschamp will make his permanent hire after the Gamecocks (8-4) take on Michigan (8-4) in Tampa, Fla. Until then, McClendon is in charge of the game plan and play-calling, Bentley will coach the team’s quarterbacks (including his son Jake, the starter), Eric Wolford will coach the offensive line, Pat Washington will coach running backs and offensive analyst Seth Strickland will coach tight ends.
McClendon’s audition will come against a Wolverines team that is ranked third in the nation. Muschamp will consider South Carolina’s production against the Wolverines but also how McClendon organizes practices and meetings and his command with the coaching staff in making his decision.
“It’s all-encompassing,” Muschamp said. “To this point, he’s done an outstanding job.”
McClendon, 34, has coached the Gamecocks wide receivers and held the co-offensive coordinator title for the last two seasons. Prior to that, he served as an assistant at Georgia for seven years. At least temporarily, he is replacing Roper, who had been Muschamp’s offensive coordinator for Muschamp’s previous three seasons as a head coach, two years at South Carolina and one at Florida.
The decision to fire Roper was made after the season, Muschamp said.
“Evaluationg as I always do all phases of our program,” he said. “It was not a fun conversation. He’s a guy I’ve got tremendous respect for. He’s an outstanding football coach and an outstanding person.”
Muschamp would not reveal how McClendon’s offense might look different from Roper’s.
“You need to come to the game,” he said.
However, he reiterated that he’d like a faster pace. The Gamecocks, who are 12th in the SEC in scoring and total yards, ran the third-fewest plays in the conference this year.
“Schematically, I like what we do,” Muschamp said. “I’d like to play with a little quicker tempo at times, and we need to be more productive.”
This story was originally published December 20, 2017 at 4:52 PM with the headline "Who is and who isn’t a candidate to be Gamecocks offensive coordinator?."