Shane Beamer updates South Carolina’s search for new assistant coach
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is nearing his first major hire of the offseason.
Speaking in a radio interview with 107.5-FM The Game on Thursday afternoon, Beamer said the Gamecocks are nearing a replacement for assistant coach Mike Peterson — who left USC to coach outside linebackers at Florida.
“I think we’re very close,” Beamer said, “very close.”
Beamer’s comments came just hours after the South Carolina board of trustees revealed it will meet Friday at 2 p.m. to discuss a handful of issues, including, “Approval of Contract for Assistant Football Coach,” per USC’s website.
South Carolina’s first-year head coach also noted on the radio Thursday that he and defensive coordinator Clayton White had interviewed a handful of candidates for the position.
“Mike told me that he was leaving, immediately I was on the phone with Clayton,” Beamer said. “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.”
While it’s unclear at this time who Beamer’s choice will be to replace Peterson, Jacksonville Jaguars assistant coach Sterling Lucas and former Florida assistant Christian Robinson’s names have been floated by multiple media outlets over the last two weeks.
Lucas has ties to both Beamer and White from his time as a player and coach at N.C. State. Lucas was initially recruited out of Orangeburg by Beamer, then an assistant coach on Steve Spurrier’s staff at South Carolina. He later served as a graduate assistant for the Wolfpack on the same staff as White between 2013 and 2015.
Robinson — a former four-star recruit out of Norcross, Georgia — was also recruited by Beamer during his time on Spurrier’s staff. He has previously worked at Mississippi State and Florida under Dan Mullen, one of Beamer’s close friends. Robinson was not retained by new Gators head coach Billy Napier upon Mullen’s firing Nov. 21.
Beamer said Thursday he and White had split responsibilities in the hiring process for South Carolina’s newest defensive coach.
“For me, you want to make sure you’re on the same page with Clayton,” Beamer said. “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.
“If anything, I would just say the fact that I’ve been here for a year, you’ve got a better idea about the (nine) coaches that you have on your staff — I don’t want to say strengths and weaknesses, but how we all complement each other. The only thing that has maybe changed is that you have a better feel for your own staff, because you’ve been together for a year now and your players.”
South Carolina wrapped its 2021 season with a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30 to finish with a 7-6 record. Beamer became just the second head coach in school history to win a bowl game in his first year at the helm in Columbia.
The Gamecocks defense also ranked in the top-half of the Southeastern Conference in most every major defensive category. South Carolina finished first in the league in passing defense and takeaways and sixth in total defense.
Peterson is the only Gamecocks on-field assistant to leave the program this offseason.
This story was originally published January 13, 2022 at 4:24 PM.
