Erik Kimrey leaving Gamecocks to rejoin high school coaching ranks
South Carolina lost two members of its 2021 football staff Wednesday.
Tight ends coach Erik Kimrey and director of football relations Connor Shaw are leaving their respective posts within the program.
Kimrey is leaving his alma mater to be the head coach at The Baylor School, a boarding school in Chattanooga. The school made the hiring official on Thursday. Baylor School has been looking to replace Phil Massey, who the school parted ways with in December after 16 seasons.
Kimrey is familiar with Baylor School headmaster Chris Angel, who had the same position at Hammond School, where Kimrey was head football coach and turned the Skyhawks into a powerhouse.
Shaw — the winningest quarterback in school history — is stepping away from the program to pursue other opportunities, he confirmed to The State.
GamecockCentral first reported the news of the departures.
“I wish those guys well,” head coach Shane Beamer said. “Those guys are leaving on fantastic terms here at South Carolina. I hate to see them go.”
Kimrey coached at Hammond for 17 years before joining Beamer’s staff at his alma mater in December of 2020.
“It wasn’t an easy decision for him” to leave, Beamer said of Kimrey. “He loves this place.”
Kimrey’s current contract with South Carolina is a two-year deal that runs through Dec. 31, 2022, according to documents obtained by The State. He was paid a base salary of $200,000 and was due a $20,000 bonus due to USC’s appearance in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, according to the terms of the deal.
The terms of Kimrey’s contract indicate he’ll owe South Carolina $50,000 for breaking the deal early. It’s unclear if USC will enforce this payment.
At Hammond, Kimrey won 12 South Carolina Independent School Association football championships in 17 seasons, including four straight from 2017-20. He also coached current Gamecocks Alex Huntley and Jordan Burch and running back CJ Stokes, who signed in December to play at Michigan.
Baylor School is for grades 6-12 and has an enrollment of just over 1,000. Some of its notable alumni include PGA Tour golfers Harris English and Luke List, who won the Farmers Insurance Open last week. Former Baylor School standout Cooper Kinney was picked in the first round of the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. Kinney was a South Carolina signee.
Baylor School has a rich football tradition and competes in Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association Division II AA and has produced six Mr. Football winners in the state. Baylor School has reached the state quarterfinals nine times since 2010 and were state runner-up in 2010 and 2011.
Kimrey was a standout at Dutch Fork High School where he played for his father Bill Kimrey. He played at South Carolina for Lou Holtz from 2000-02 and was a grad assistant under Holtz for two years before being hired at Hammond in 2004 at the age of 24. Kimrey is known in Gamecock history for throwing the “the fade” against Mississippi State on Sept. 23, 2000. Kimrey, a backup quarterback, was inserted in the game when starting quarterback Phil Petty came up limping after a third-and-10 play on the MSU 25.
Shaw was previously hired during Will Muschamp’s tenure and had been retained during the transition to Shane Beamer’s staff.
The Georgia native starred under former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. He finished his four-year career in Columbia having completed 480 of 733 passes (65.5%) for 6,074 yards and 56 touchdowns, while adding another 1,683 yards and 17 scores rushing. Shaw boasted a career record of 27-5 record, including a 17-0 mark at Williams-Brice Stadium.
He later spent three years in the NFL after his college career, including two seasons with the Cleveland Browns and one campaign with the Chicago Bears. His lone NFL start came with the Browns. He connected on 14 of 28 passes for 177 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.
“Connor is brilliant and will be successful is anything he wants to do,” Beamer said.
Shaw signed a contract extension with South Carolina that ran from June 1, 2020 until May 30, 2021. He was set to make a $200,000 base salary under the terms of that deal, though it’s not immediately clear what his contract situation entailed once that deal expired.
Kimrey’s departure means South Carolina will have to replace its second on-field assistant in this year’s coaching cycle after outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson left USC to take a job at Florida. Peterson was replaced by Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Sterling Lucas.
Head coach Shane Beamer guided the Gamecocks to a 7-6 record and a 38-21 win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl on Dec. 30. Beamer is just the second coach in school history to win a bowl game his first year in Columbia.
This story was originally published February 2, 2022 at 11:27 AM.
