JC Shurburtt of TheBigSpur.com confirmed the South Carolina defensive line coach Tracy Rocker left the program to train at Auburn, his alma mater. Rocker joins offensive coordinator and defender coach Mike Bobo and offensive line coach Will Friend as he left Gamecocks and coach Shane Beamer for Tigers and Bryan Harsin from first year last week.
Rocker spent just one season with the Gamecocks, hired by Will Muschamp to train the defensive line in 2020. On January 4, South Carolina’s board of trustees approved a two-year contract for Rocker with an annual salary of $ 525,000. He is responsible for paying the school $ 100,000 in cash for the acquisition.
Below is the rest of the Rocker training curriculum, courtesy of GamecocksOnline.com
The traveled Rocker spent two seasons (2018-19) in Tennessee, his fifth different stop at the SEC before arriving in South Carolina for the 2020 season. He also toured Division I in Georgia (2014-16), Auburn ( 2009-10), Ole Miss (2008), Arkansas (2003-07), Cincinnati (2002) and Troy State (1997-01). In addition, he spent three seasons with the Tennessee Titans in the NFL (2011-13). He mentored the defensive line at each of these stops, but he also received the additional title of Associate Principal Coach while in Georgia in 2015.
Rocker coached four conference championship teams – 1999 and 2000 Southland in Troy; 2002 Conference USA in Cincinnati; and 2010 SEC in Auburn. This 2010 Auburn team won the 2011 BCS National Championship Game over Oregon.
Rocker trained six All-Americans – Nick Fairley (Auburn), Peria Jerry (Ole Miss), Tim Betts (Troy), Eric Sloan (Troy), Al Lucas (Troy) and Marcus Spriggs (Troy), along with 15 NFL draft choices, including first five rounds – DeMarcus Ware, Jamaal Anderson, Peria Jerry, Nick Fairley and Dee Ford – as well as future professionals Greg Hardy, Trent Cole and Osi Umenyiora.
Born in Atlanta, Rocker is considered one of the greatest college football players in the state of Georgia of all time. He was a state team twice at Fulton High School and was named Defensive Player of the Year for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution as a high school veteran.
Twice All-American while playing at the 1985-88 Auburn, Rocker won the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award in 1988. He was the first SEC player to receive both awards. He was named SEC Player of the Year after his senior season in 1988. He was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004, the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 2018.