Gamecock great Connor Shaw leaves Furman. Here’s why, and a little on what’s next

Former South Carolina star quarterback Connor Shaw’s coaching tenure at Furman is over before the start of his first season with the team.

The Gamecocks’ winningest all-time quarterback resigned Tuesday to get a jump start on an as-yet undisclosed “private business.”

“It’s been a wild couple days, but there are some exciting things coming up,” Shaw told The State. “The move was very difficult and, obviously, unfortunate timing for Furman, and I hate that because they are great people, and I really enjoyed working with them and the players in that room.”

Shaw was hired in January as the Paladins tight ends coach. The school announced a new tight ends coach on Tuesday.

“I felt like originally I could do both, but it wasn’t fair to Furman, and it wasn’t fair to this new venture,” he said. “Things kind of progressed quickly for this new opportunity, and I really needed to take advantage of it. This call was made that it would benefit my family well, and at the end of the day I have to do what is right by them. A lot of things I learned in the last six months, I will carry over in this venture.”

Shaw won 27 games as South Carolina’s starting quarterback from 2010-2013. He is first in school history in completion percentage (65.5), second in touchdown passes (56) and fourth in passing yards (7,597).

He played most recently for the Chicago Bears, finishing there in September when he and the team reached an injury settlement after a foot injury. Shaw started one NFL game. In 2014, he started for the Cleveland Browns, completing 14-of-28 passes for 177 yards and an interception. He also rushed seven times for 9 yards in that game.

Shaw spent the 2015 season with the Browns rehabbing a thumb injury and was waived by the team in the summer of 2016. Shaw was signed that summer by the Bears.

This story was originally published July 31, 2018 at 4:24 PM.