The rumors are spinning, and with the Thanksgiving holiday shifting to the rearview mirror, it’s only logical to expect things to really start to heat up with the South Carolina Gamecocks training quest. Since all we can do in this The moment is to speculate and drive us crazy, I decided to check with GABA readers and see where you are. Here is my personal Panic Index with the possible names we’ve seen floating around so far:
RED ALERT
Jeff Monken, Army: Gamecock fans set fire to Twitter earlier this week when news of Monken’s potential bid surfaced, and for good reason. Monken employs the triple option offense and has been doing this for almost his entire career, and although some observers have said he can change his scheme into a larger program, it is still neither a guarantee nor a comfort. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but switching to the triple option would be more or less a concession that South Carolina has no hope of competing in the SEC, and the program’s ability to get SEC caliber recruits would disappear almost during the night. In short, this hiring would delay the program for years and could even “close it” effectively. The current hope here is that Caslen is simply doing a friend a favor and helping him secure a West Point boost with some polite conversation about big school interests.
I don’t want to be part of this, thank you
Hugh Freeze, Liberty: Perhaps no candidate is more controversial among Gamecock believers. Even among the regional and national media, some claim he is by far the best option available, while others insist that he must remain an outcast among top coaches. Some USC fans want to back up a Brinks truck to the Freeze and win at any cost, while others are wary of the destruction of the NCAA he left behind (as well as the escort scandal in his personal life). For my money, I think his baggage is too big a risk for a relatively small reward: Yes, he (illegally) recruited boats full of elite talent for Ole Miss, but the victories he won with these players ended up wandering – and reaching 39 -25 overall with a 19-21 SEC mark simply doesn’t seem to make up for the inconvenience and / or tarnish your reputation. I feel compelled to also point out that SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey supposedly ended the idea of Freeze becoming one of Alabama’s many analysts, so he seems to be somewhat of a persona non grata at the conference. However, all of this can be debatable, as current speculations revolve around the idea of Freeze waiting for an opportunity in Auburn or Tennessee, which may not open until 2021.
I mean, ok
Shane Beamer, Oklahoma: Despite his lack of a dubious past, Beamer grants Freeze a run for his money as the most controversial candidate on the list. As he was a former South Carolina assistant under Steve Spurrier, former players and other program members have been lobbying for him, arguing that he knows what it takes to instill a winning mindset in South Carolina and that it would be genuinely passionate about work. The biggest criticism of Beamer is his lack of experience as a head coach, which is a supposedly paramount feature for sports director Ray Tanner – Beamer was a career assistant / position coach, and it’s a little strange that he apparently didn’t give a look at your legendary retired parent from Virginia Tech. Despite everything, there is a lot of smoke and momentum surrounding his name, with rumors that Tanner would interview him in person today. There is a school of thought that Beamer could be Dabo Swinney’s version of Gamecocks – for example, a successful head coach who had never been a coordinator before – but in my book, it’s not the best idea to bet on repeating an anomalous experience that the Upstate crew was lucky enough to experience.
Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina: Also a guy Tanner has interviewed, Chadwell is an attractive prospect: he has the Chants going, he is very familiar with the state of South Carolina and is a young and exciting offensive mind. Coastal is also not his first coaching job: his previous stints were in Charleston Southern and D2 North Greenville. However, he is only a year after succeeding the legend of CCU coach Joe Moglia (although he served as acting coach for the Chants in 2017 when Moglia left on sick leave), so I’m not sure how much of what he did so far in Conway it has been left over from Moglia, so to speak. He’s someone who could inject some energy into Columbia, although, although I’m not completely convinced of him, it wouldn’t be long before I accepted the idea.
Scott Satterfield, Louisville: I don’t hate that idea, but I don’t understand it either. It looks like the kind of movement that is a few years late. Hiring Satterfield based on the merits of his dominant tenure at the Appalachian State? Right! Hire him after a few seasons of ups and downs in Louisville? I mean, I think. I’m not trying to be unfair here, because he didn’t really have a chance to show what he can do at Power Level 5, but then again – he didn’t really have a chance to show what he can do at Energy Level 5, so it looks risky . For what it’s worth, Satterfield also issued a statement about being happy in Louisville as soon as the rumors started to spin, although, of course, this may not be worth as much as South Carolina could pay him. Like anyone else on this list, he could be convinced with the right argument.
Yes please
Billy Napier, Louisiana: For me, Napier is the candidate that makes the most sense and fits the most; he seems like a no-brainer that almost makes you worry that South Carolina is sure to ruin everything (although he apparently was also interviewed). Some fans may refuse to say that Dabo once fired him as Clemson’s offensive coordinator, but that was a long time ago. In addition, he has been successful everywhere he goes, with a few stints in Alabama (first as an analyst, then as a receiver coach) and offensive coordinator presentations in Colorado and Arizona. As a former Furman quarterback and a member of the SC State / Clemson team, I think Napier brings the best combination of success as head coach and ties to South Carolina. In his three-year tenure with the Ragin ‘Cajuns, he broke a ton of program records and check all the boxes like a younger coach with an exciting playing style. Until further notice, he is my favorite among the supposed Gamecocks options.
What about you? Who are you crossing your fingers for as an early Christmas present?