Contract, salary details approved for USC’s new special teams coach
South Carolina has officially rounded out its 2026 coaching staff.
Less than a week after the Gamecocks announced Matthew Smiley as their next special teams coordinator, the University of South Carolina Board of Trustees on Friday officially approved Smiley’s contract and salary.
Smiley is under a three-year contract with South Carolina (through Dec. 31, 2028) that will pay him $700,000 a year.
Former Gamecocks special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, who left USC in mid-February to take the same job with the Las Vegas Raiders, was making $850,000 per year.
Smiley comes to South Carolina after spending 2025 as Penn State’s assistant special teams coordinator. Before that, though, he spent eight years with the Buffalo Bills, including three seasons (2022-24) as their special teams coordinator.
“I believe in hiring good people and letting them coach,” Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer said of Smiley. “He’s an established special teams coordinator. He knows what he wants and knows how he wants to get it done.”
Though Beamer said he never met Smiley before interviewing him, plenty of Beamer’s associates had. In the wake of DeCamillis’ departure, Beamer’s phone kept ringing with folks vouching and talking up Smiley.
That gave Beamer enough confidence to tab Smiley as his third special teams coordinator, taking over a unit synonymous with the Beamer name.
“It’s certainly my background and my baby,” Beamer said. “In a lot of ways, he’s going to realize that I’m, as a head coach, probably more involved with special teams than anybody he’s ever worked for.”
SOUTH CAROLINA 2026 COACHING STAFF SALARIES
- Shane Beamer, Head Coach — $8.2 million
- Clayton White, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach — $2 million
- Kendal Briles, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach — $2 million
- Torrian Gray, Defensive Pass Game Coordinator/Defensive Backs Coach — $1 million
- Stan Drayton, Assistant Head Coach – Offense/Running Backs Coach — $775,000
- Shawn Elliott, Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach — $775,000
- Randy Clements, Offensive Line Coach — $725,000
- Matthew Smiley, Special Teams Coordinator — $700,000
- Deion Barnes, Defensive Ends/Outside Linebackers Coach — $675,000
- Mike Furrey, Passing Game Coordinator/Wide Receivers Coach — $650,000
- Travian Robertson, Defensive Line Coach — $550,000
This story was originally published February 27, 2026 at 9:14 AM.
