One way Connor Shaw can help Gamecocks quarterbacks this coming season
When South Carolina football great Connor Shaw joined the Gamecocks in an off-field role in January, he made a point of saying he wasn’t here to coach the current players at his old position.
But there is one thing he can pass along to the players who are in some ways chasing his legacy.
Shaw was well-versed in the ups and downs of the position. He experienced the ins and outs of the Steve Spurrier quarterback carousel. He had pockets of the fanbase calling for him to be replaced by his backup surprisingly late into his career, one that is hardly disputed as the best for a signal caller in program history.
And it’s those lessons about the pressure of the position, more than how to throw a ball or when to take off running, that he can pass along.
“A lot of it’s blocking out the noise, understanding what’s important, how do I progress each day?” Shaw said. “Whether it’s on field, whether it’s in a meeting room, and in the weight room, and that’s what you have to focus on. There’s a lot of things, especially as a quarterback, that present distractions for you. And so it’s really just understanding what’s important and really hone in on that.”
Since the pandemic started, he’s been tasked with helping keep a team in some ways unified even when they spent nearly three months apart. Notable in that effort was a Madden tournament (won by the team’s starting corners), but Shaw was tasked with helping on the mental-health front, something that’s been tested with the disruption of routine the past few months.
He took over the director of player development position previously held by former Gamecocks Marcus Lattimore and Andre Goodman. The role is officially described as focusing on “career development, mental health, financial literacy and life skills.”
Shaw’s return to campus capped a run of holding a few different jobs. After retiring from pursuing an NFL career in early 2018, he had a short stint with Furman’s coaching staff before leaving during the summer. Across the end of that year and 2019, he spent time as a sales rep for Colonial Life.
During his career with the Gamecocks from 2010-2013, he was thrown into nine games as a freshman backup before earning the starting role as a sophomore when Stephen Garcia was booted from the team (Shaw also started the opener that year, but threw only nine passes).
What followed was Shaw going 26-5, leading the Gamecocks to a golden era. He grew as a passer through 2 1/2 seasons, completing 67.5 percent of his attempts as a junior and posting a stellar 24-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio as a senior.
He also had a certain ruggedness to his game, especially as a runner. His stats were solid, but he had a knack for converting in big moments, even if he at times ran more than Spurrier liked.
But after his first taste of coaching at Furman, Shaw said when he arrived, he won’t be heading to the practice field to get hands-on with quarterbacks Ryan Hilinksi, Collin Hill or Luke Doty (who some have compared to Shaw in style). He wants to step back from that front.
“They have a great coach in Mike Bobo,” Shaw said. “And a great support staff here, and they know what they’re doing from that standpoint. I think it’s going to be fun for me to just go sit in the offensive meeting room, quarterback meeting room, get to know the quarterback room, maybe talk a little bit of football. But, you know, my extent, my involvement with football is going to be being in sync with Coach Muschamp to see what’s a win for our guys on and off the field.”
