Gamecocks to hire Jacksonville Jaguars assistant as new assistant coach, report says
Shane Beamer is expected to make his first notable hire of the offseason.
Beamer is poised to hire Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Sterling Lucas to fill South Carolina’s current defensive staff opening, per Wes Mitchell and Chris Clark of Gamecock Central. Lucas will replace Mike Peterson, who left Columbia to coach outside linebackers at Florida.
The State reached out to a South Carolina spokesperson, who could not immediately confirm the news.
The State also reached out to the Jaguars via email. The team had not responded as of Thursday night.
Speaking with 107.5 The Game on Thursday afternoon, Beamer said that South Carolina was nearing a hire for the spot vacated by Peterson. That revelation came just a few hours after the board of trustees meeting was called.
“Mike told me that he was leaving, immediately I was on the phone with Clayton,” Beamer said on the radio Thursday. “He had a couple guys initially he thought of. I had a couple guys initially I thought of, and we certainly collaborate from that standpoint and make sure that we’re all on the same page.”
Lucas would come to USC with an NFL background. He spent five years working for the Baltimore Ravens in varying capacities before serving as the assistant defensive line coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars this year.
The former NFL assistant also has history with both Beamer and defensive coordinator Clayton White. Beamer recruited Lucas out of Orangeburg before choosing N.C. State. Lucas also worked with White as a graduate assistant at N.C. State between 2013 and 2015.
Peterson, who spent six years at South Carolina, had his contract extended in each of the last two years according to documents obtained by The State. His annual salary upon his departure was $420,000.
It’s unclear what Lucas would be paid in his new role should the hiring go through, though the South Carolina board of trustees has called a meeting for Friday at 2 p.m. to approve an assistant football coaching contract, among other issues.
South Carolina previously dipped into NFL waters to snag offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield from the Carolina Panthers when Beamer initially rounded out his staff.
The USC defense underwent a revitalization in White’s first year leading the unit. The Gamecocks finished tops in the Southeastern Conference in passing defense and takeaways and sixth in total defense.
“For me, you want to make sure you’re on the same page with Clayton,” Beamer said of how he and White collaborated throughout the hiring process. “Clayton White and I spent a lot of time together talking to guys about what we want out of that position. You look at it from an X’s and O’s standpoint. You look at it from from a recruiting standpoint. You look at it from the fit with our staff and where we are. ... That part hasn’t changed.”
USC finished the 2021 season 7-6 with a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30. Beamer became just the second coach in school history to win a bowl game in his first season as head coach.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 5:53 PM.
