Beamer addresses Bobo departure, lessons learned from ‘mistakes’ made in filling staff
Mike Bobo called Shane Beamer last Tuesday night. The Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator was letting his head coach know that, just one day after his contract had been extended at South Carolina, Auburn wanted him to take a job leading the Tigers’ offense.
Beamer, speaking with the media Monday, didn’t get into many of the details of that conversation, or a subsequent meeting he had with Bobo the following morning. But the end result is already known: Bobo left for Auburn, less than two weeks after Beamer had announced he would retain him from Will Muschamp’s staff.
“I listened as the head football coach of South Carolina, and in the end, he did what he felt was best for him and his family,” Beamer said. “And as the head football coach at South Carolina, my job is to do what I feel is best for the University of South Carolina football program today and going forward in the future, and that’s what I did.
“We wish him well, and have nothing but ...” Beamer said, pausing briefly before finishing. “We wish him well.”
It didn’t take Beamer long to replace Bobo. Within a few days, USC officially announced Marcus Satterfield as the team’s new offensive coordinator. The Gamecocks have yet to replace offensive line coach Will Friend, who went with Bobo to Auburn just weeks after being hired at South Carolina.
Beamer on Monday didn’t address any more details surrounding Bobo’s surprising departure. But he did emphasize how much he valued fit and enthusiasm for USC in his coaching hires.
“I want guys that want to be here. I’m not just going out there to hire some guy that has a fancy name because he’s got a famous last name or because he’s coached in the SEC for 20 years,” Beamer said. “There’s plenty of examples of guys like that that it hasn’t worked out here, a lot here recently.”
Beamer also admitted twice on Monday that he had made “mistakes” when talking about filling his coaching staff.
“I know there’s a sense of urgency (among fans) because the staff is not complete, but I only get one opportunity to get this staff right,” Beamer said. “And I have learned and made some mistakes for sure, and I’m doing my best to not make those same mistakes. I’m very, very thorough on the people that I want to bring into this program.”
And while he didn’t specifically say what those mistakes were, Beamer did add that in talking with Carolina Panthers coach Matt Rhule, the NFL coach gave him some valuable advice from his previous jobs on the college level.
“He got hired as the head coach at Temple, coach Rhule told me, and before spring practice, the guy that he hired as his offensive coordinator bolted and went somewhere else. He promoted Marcus Satterfield to offensive coordinator,” Beamer said. “He went to Baylor, hired an offensive coordinator that he didn’t have really a relationship with. Before spring practice that guy bolted. He hired somebody from within. Both those guys that he promoted were still with him on the Carolina Panthers. And his whole thing was: Take your time, get this staff right.”
Beamer wasn’t alone in emphasizing the importance of a cohesive, enthusiastic staff.
Satterfield, speaking to reporters Monday for the first time as USC’s new offensive coordinator, said he liked the offensive staff Beamer has assembled specifically because they’re younger and hungry to prove themselves.
“It’s not, you know, some retreads that got fired from an NFL team or a former offensive coordinator that is at the tail end of his career,” Satterfield said. “We’re a bunch of guys — I think they are really smart, I try like heck to keep up with them — that have a chip on our shoulder and are ready to prove to people that we can do some special things there.”
Satterfield and Beamer, along with running backs coach Des Kitchings, wide receivers coach Justin Stepp and tight ends coach Erik Kimrey, are all under 45 years old.
Moving forward, Beamer said he didn’t anticipate any more staff departures, but he also acknowledged the rough-and-tumble nature of the coaching market, especially in the SEC. Speaking with the staff last week after Bobo and Friend left, he had a message for his assistants.
“I made sure they all understood that I chose them, I wanted them to be here, the guys that were left in that room,” Beamer said. “And that I wanted to go fight with them. Are their obstacles here? Are there challenges right now? Sure. When you get hired as a new head football coach in the SEC, it’s not because things are great. There’s problems. I don’t want to hear what the problems are — tell me the solutions.”
Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football coaching staff
Eight of the 10 on-field positions have been filled
- Marcus Satterfield — QBs/offensive coordinator
- Clayton White — Defensive coordinator
- Pete Lembo — Special teams coordinator/associate head coach
- Des Kitchings — Running backs
- Justin Stepp — Wide receivers
- Erik Kimrey — Tight ends
- Tracy Rocker — Defensive line
- Mike Peterson — Linebackers/Bucks
This story was originally published January 11, 2021 at 2:37 PM.
