4 possible names to fill South Carolina’s open defensive line coaching job
South Carolina has a hole on its staff to fill.
Defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey is expected to take on the same position at LSU, according to multiple reports on Friday morning.
That leaves Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer needing to fill a second on-field assistant coaching position this offseason after offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield previously left for Nebraska.
Here’s a look at a few names that could potentially fill the role vacated by Lindsey:
Tulane DL coach Travian Robertson
This name should be familiar with South Carolina fans.
Robertson starred under head coach Steve Spurrier in Columbia and was a team captain during the 2011 season. He was later selected in the seventh round of the NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons and played for three teams over four years in the league.
Since his playing days wrapped up, Robertson has quickly climbed the coaching ladder. He landed his first coaching gig in 2017 as a graduate assistant on Shawn Elliott’s Georgia State staff before parlaying that into a one-year run as the defensive line coach at Albany State. Robertson returned to Georgia State in 2020 and spent two years as the defensive line coach before being hired by Tulane last year.
Robertson, like Lindsey, is a North Carolina native, but would also bring some in-state name recognition to the staff. (Lindsey had worked at Furman previously.) He doesn’t have ties to Beamer or defensive coordinator Clayton White, but that shouldn’t eliminate him as a potential candidate.
SMU DL coach Calvin Thibodeaux
South Carolina already hired one coach with Texas ties this offseason (offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains) and Thibodeux could be the second.
A Houston native, the former Oklahoma lineman spent six years coaching the defensive line at his alma mater — including a three-year overlap with Beamer on Lincoln Riley’s staff. Thibodeaux also spent time at Kansas, Tulsa, Houston, Dartmouth and Navarro Junior College (Texas) prior to joining Rhett Lashlee’s staff at SMU.
Thibodeaux was named one of Rivals’ top-25 recruiters of 2018 and 2019 and would help fill the recruiting void left by Lindsey’s departure. He’d also give the Gamecocks some more aforementioned name recognition in Texas along with Loggains and receivers coach Justin Stepp — who also previously worked at SMU.
One other connection to note here is Loggains and Lashlee played quarterback at Arkansas together and are close friends. White will almost certainly be the point man on this hire given it’s a defensive opening, but that relationship can’t hurt.
UCF DTs coach Kenny Martin
Lindsey and White worked together at Western Kentucky. How about dipping back into that well?
Martin is entering his third year on Gus Malzahn’s staff at UCF after coaching defensive tackles at WKU between 2018 and 2020. Martin also served as a graduate assistant for the Hilltoppers in 2016 and 2017.
In his short time in Orlando, the Knights improved tremendously on the defensive side of the ball. UCF finished fifth in the country in red zone defense in 2022. Martin also helped the Knights to six wins over the final seven games of 2021 — including allowing just 11.8 points per game in those six victories.
Lindsey’s main responsibilities included coaching the defensive tackles, while Sterling Lucas has handled the edge rushers and outside linebackers. Martin would be a natural fit given his time coaching the interior and his recent ties to White. At just 33, he’d also add another young face to Beamer’s staff.
Former Stanford DC Lance Anderson
This might be a little bit outside the box, but Anderson has ample ties to White.
The pair worked together on Jim Harbaugh’s staff at Stanford between 2007 and 2009, where Anderson coached defensive tackles, while White handled defensive backs.
White maintains close ties to Harbaugh (the latter has tried to hire him on multiple occasions). Even a few of South Carolina’s recent hires have Jim Harbaugh-ish ties in Lucas and Lonnie Teasley — both of whom worked for his brother John Harbaugh with the Baltimore Ravens.
Anderson was one of the original “Harbaugh-ites” from his time coaching the defensive line at the University of San Diego before going on to Stanford. He’s in the market for a new gig after not being retained by new Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor.
The one kicker here is Anderson has spent almost his entire career on the West Coast outside of brief spells with the Mobile Admirals of the defunct Regional Football League in 1999 and Bucknell from 1999-2002. He may not be interested in a cross-country move.
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 3:38 PM.
