Who’s gonna be South Carolina’s head coach?
We all know who USC’s head coach is going to be. But how about the OTHER USC, which sits in Columbia, South Carolina, far away from the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles?
There, things have been a bit of a struggle lately. And by ‘bit’, I mean ‘a lot’. To go with an horrific remnant of a hurricane that flooded the city for days, Steve Spurrier decided that head coaching wasn’t his thing anymore and promptly left mid-season. Oh, and at the end of the season, South Carolina had the ignominy of losing to The Citadel and Clemson in back-to-back weeks.
So who are the head coaching favourites for the South Carolina job?
- Lincoln Reily — Apparently the Gamecocks are very interested in Oklahoma OC Lincoln Riley – who’s done such as an excellent offensive job with the Sooners this year, taking them to a College Football Play-Off. He will bring with him a hell of an offensive mind – something that the South Carolina could dearly do with.
- Larry Fedora – Fedora’s offensive genius is doing wonders at North Carolina, and with the prospect of academic sanctions on the horizon for the North Carolina athletic system, you can see Fedora make the ACC Championship and a 11-2 season his crowning moment before leaving for a bigger challenge down South.
- Dan Mullen – Would be a blockbuster hire for South Carolina, particularly as it’s pretty well known that Mullen’s going to leave CowbellLand now that his four-year love affair with Dak Prescott is over and he’ll have to rebuild. Mullen’s an excellent offensive mind and was responsible for MSU’s rise from joke status to status over the last couple of years.
- Jeremy Pruitt – The Georgia defensive co-ordinator is apparently ‘highly interested’ in the South Carolina job. He’s been pretty good for Georgia since Todd Grantham left….if you forget the Alabama and Florida games. He’s also an excellent recruiter.
- Kirby Smart – Despite the news that Georgia was on the verge of signing with Smart, Carolina is still actively pursuing the Alabama DC. Expect fireworks in Carolina and Georgia if he ponies up more money.
- Shawn Elliott – Let’s not forget that the Gamecocks actually played a hell of a lot better with Elliott as head coach. But he still went 1-5. He’s a long shot.
- Will Muschamp – Probably wants another chance at head coaching after the debacle at Florida, but would anyone want to take a chance on him?