A son of Columbia, Erik Kimrey ready for big step forward in long Gamecocks journey
There were a few jokes cracked with Erik Kimrey about his ascension to South Carolina’s football coaching staff.
Will he be allowed to call fade passes in tight ballgames? (Answer: If they have the QB and receivers, many fades will be called.)
Will his popular podcast continue? (He’ll have to check with USC’s communications staff about that.)
Will he miss posting social media updates during Gamecocks games? (Nope.)
The fact is, Kimrey built around himself a persona in more than 20 years connected to the Gamecocks program. He threw a legendary pass as a USC backup, grew into a decorated high school coach and worked in life as a teacher, dispenser of philosophy, lunchtime radio show host and digital content entrepreneur. A son of Columbia, he could have probably done that in perpetuity.
But the big school called, the same way it called in the late 1990s, when Brad Scott asked a smart, maybe not all-that-talented quarterback from Dutch Fork High School to walk on to the roster of the hometown team.
“We won our first game and lost 21 in a row,” Kimrey recalled, as he thanked the fans who attended those games and coaches Lou and Skip Holtz for their impact on him.
Now, he’s getting the chance to coach as they did, starting with the USC tight ends.
In speaking with reporters about the opportunity in front of him, the longtime Hammond coach said this was just about the only college job he would have taken. Years ago, he and his family decided they would not bounce around the country to chase the coaching dream.
The son of a longtime coach who led teams at Cardinal Newman, Lower Richland, Dutch Fork and Calhoun County spent a few years as a graduate assistant at USC before being named Hammond head coach at age 24. He grew in that role, stacking state titles and building a reputation that is uncommon for coaches who stay at a small school instead of moving up to a bigger job.
“When I was coaching with coach (Steve) Spurrier back in 2007-10,” Beamer said, “we used to talk about Erik Kimrey and how brilliant an offensive mind he had, the way that he thought as a head coach.”
His next steps will involve learning the college ropes, getting into the flow or recruiting for the first time and absorbing a challenge that’s wholly different.
His college experience is scant, only working as a GA, but there were lessons there, something he can carry, even if technology has rendered the skills of splicing up old-school video moot.
“We didn’t have all these analysts and GAs we have now,” Kimrey said. “So I was there for 120 hours a week and doing it all by myself.
“It was a little bit trickier then because I had just played with these guys.”
Technology has changed since then. The sport has in some ways, but not others. It’s still teaching, still relating to players.
And on that front he might be a little different. His new boss, Beamer, believes in a holistic approach. Kimrey taught philosophy and often applies lessons from that field in his work as a coach.
As he gets into the recruiting space (he’s already talked to some tight end targets), he has something he can use in the pitch: his own background.
He went from backup college QB with a memorable in-game moment to someone who carved out a life and a place in Columbia. True, he had a father who coached, but he took his own opportunity and made it. As he built his coaching career, he stayed close to the USC program and the Columbia community where he grew up and supported him.
Who knows, perhaps someone he recruits in the coming years could make their way in the Midlands, maybe as businessmen, lawyer or a coach, and eventually make the same steps he’s taking.
“We have an unbelievable opportunity to be immersed in a giant family,” Kimrey said, “one which starts with, in my mind, the city of Columbia. There’s so many great opportunities.
“I think it’s going to be a very healthy place for a young man to come in and really not just progress toward playing in the NFL, but progress as a human being and a citizen, and I think all those things are important.”
This story was originally published January 4, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
