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Shawn Elliott Represents What South Carolina Needs In Next Coach
Shawn Elliott represents what South Carolina needs in its next football coach. He's bringing necessary change to the program after Steve Spurrier's retirement.
November 13, 2015
After three straight 11-win seasons, South Carolina football has hit a rough patch the past two years. Once the young-gun in college football, Steve Spurrier had the Gamecocks program humming, but the rigors of the year-round sport finally caught up to his age. The Head Ball Coach decided to hang it up in the middle of the season to make way for a new, younger era for the Gamecocks.
South Carolina has gone 1-2 under interim coach Shawn Elliott since then, but the atmosphere surrounding the program has been vastly different. There’s a little more pep to South Carolina’s step.
The Gamecocks probably won’t qualify for a bowl game, considering they need to beat both Florida and Clemson, but South Carolina beat writer Dave Caraviello of The Post and Courier believes Spurrier made the right call.
“With the way the team has been energized and been so much more competitive the last couple of weeks, [it] probably bolsters the … backs up the decision Steve made,” Caraviello said during a segment on the Gator Nation Football Podcast.
While Elliott hasn’t worked magic, he’s implemented small changes, and they’ve made a difference.
“Whatever Shawn Elliott is doing … a lot of that is being a players’ coach and doing simple things like allowing music in the locker room, which Spurrier didn’t do. [It’s] playing music at practice, which Spurrier didn’t do,” Caraviello said. “Maybe taking more of a personal touch with some of these players — something that a 70-year-old legend just doesn’t do because that’s what he is — some of that seems to have worked out. [Elliot has] put a lot of different players in a lot of different positions and is kind of looking for whatever he can right now.”
But is that enough to land Elliott the full-time job as head coach? He’s definitely a candidate, but the Gamecocks aren’t going to show their hand just yet.
Caraviello said he’s heard names like Tom Herman (Houston) and Justin Fuente (Memphis), but South Carolina has been very “tight lipped” about the coaching search.
What South Carolina needs, though, is someone to attract attention on the recruiting trail.
“I think they need a guy who can recruit his butt off. The recruiting situation here has languished to an almost embarrassing degree. They are playing a handful of walk-ons on offense because they have some three-and-four-star guys who just did not work out,” he said. “They need a guy who is going to reinvigorate the recruiting base. South Carolina’s not a hard job as far as recruiting goes because this state does produce the depth of talent to carry any program.”
While there’s a good amount of talent to be had in South Carolina, in order for the program to keep up with Clemson, and compete on a national scale, the new head coach will need to be a savvy enough recruiter to dip into other states, such as Florida.
“You need a guy who’s really, really aggressive as as recruiter — really, really innovative as a recruiter to perhaps get South Carolina into some of these newer markets they maybe haven’t been in play in in the past,” Caraviello said.
South Carolina may ultimately go with an outside hire for its next head football coach, and it could look for someone with a track record of landing elite talent — and a longer resume. Regardless of whom they hire, one thing is certain: Elliot represents the fresh, energetic leader the Gamecocks need right now.
