James Coley leaving South Carolina to take coaching job at Georgia, report says
James Coley was South Carolina’s wide receivers coach for all of 43 days.
Coley was hired by Shane Beamer in early January to take over the Gamecocks WRs room. A longtime assistant with stops at Florida State, Miami, Texas A&M and Georgia, where he worked with Beamer, the hire was seen as a home run.
Now, according to reports by 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz and GamecockCentral, Coley is expected to take a job as Georgia’s wide receivers coach.
Coley was such a commodity that Beamer shifted wide receivers coach Justin Stepp to tight ends coach, a move that led to Stepp leaving USC to take the wide receiver coaching job at Illinois.
Coley signed a two-year contract that was set to pay him $650,000 this year. According to his contact terms, Coley will owe South Carolina a buyout of $450,000.
This now continues a long offseason for Beamer of filling his assistant coaching staff.
Following a 5-7 season in 2023, Beamer fired just one assistant — running backs coach Montario Hardesty. It seemed like the Gamecocks might have a quiet offseason. Almost two months later, it still isn’t settled.
Here’s a look at all the coaching moves that have occurred.
▪ Hardesty fired (Jan. 3).
▪ Tight ends coach Jody Wright accepts head coaching job at Murray State (Jan. 10).
▪ Beamer hires Coley as the Gamecocks wide receivers coach (Jan. 12).
▪ Stepp moves from wide receiver coach to tight ends coach (Jan. 12).
▪ Gamecocks tab former Texas A&M assistant Marquel Blackwell to be the running backs coach (Jan. 19).
▪ Special teams coordinator Pete Lembo takes the head coaching job at Buffalo (Jan. 21).
▪ South Carolina hires longtime NFL assistant Joe DeCamillis to replace Lembo as special teams coordinator (Jan. 29).
▪ Stepp, the tight ends coach, takes the WRs coach job at Illinois (Feb. 8).
▪ South Carolina hires Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott as run game coordinator/tight ends coach (Feb. 16).
▪ Coley reportedly takes the wide receivers coach job at Georgia, leaving a spot open on Beamer’s staff (Feb. 24).
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSISTANT COACHES
Clayton White (DC) — $1.2 million
Dowell Loggains (OC) — $1 million
Joe DeCamillis (ST) — $800,000
Shawn Elliott (TEs) — $758,000 (average)
Torrian Gray (DBs) — $675,000
Sterling Lucas (DEs/OLBs) — $575,000
Marquel Blackwell (RB) — $487,500 (average)
Travian Robertson (DL) — $400,000
Lonnie Teasley (OL) — $410,000
This story was originally published February 24, 2024 at 1:22 PM.
