South Carolina officially hires new tight ends coach. Here are the contract details
South Carolina officially has its new tight ends coach.
The USC board of trustees approved a contract Friday for former Alabama and New York Giants assistant Jody Wright to join the Gamecocks’ staff.
The two-year deal will pay Wright $350,000 per year in Year 1 of the deal and $400,000 in Year 2.
Wright was hired to replace former South Carolina quarterback and longtime Hammond School head coach Erik Kimrey, who took a job as the head coach at the Baylor School in Chattanooga.
Wright’s contract will pay significantly more than that of his predecessor. Kimrey was paid an annual salary of $200,000 under the terms of his previous contract, according to documents obtained by The State.
An Alabama native, Wright and head coach Shane Beamer worked together for a spell on Sylvester Croom’s staff at Mississippi State in the early 2000s. Wright was one of only a few coaches retained by Dan Mullen after he took over for Croom in 2009.
Following his time at MSU, Wright worked at Alabama in a handful of roles over two stints — including as the director of player personnel. There he guided the Crimson Tide to a No. 1-ranked recruiting class in 2015 and 2016.
Wright went on to work as an assistant coach for the Cleveland Browns and the Giants, working with former MSU assistants Freddie Kitchens and Joe Judge — both of whom also overlapped with Beamer on the Bulldogs’ staff.
Prior to Kimrey’s departure, Mike Peterson was previously the only on-field assistant to leave Beamer’s staff. Peterson was hired to coach linebackers at Florida — his alma mater — in January.
Legendary South Carolina quarterback and director of football relations Connor Shaw also left the program this offseason and is expected to pursue a job outside of coaching.
Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Sterling Lucas was previously hired to replace Peterson. Lucas was given a two-year deal worth $350,000 annually. The deal runs through Dec. 31, 2023.
This story was originally published February 18, 2022 at 1:37 PM.
