South Carolina football: possible coordinator hires from new head coach

OPTION 1: JAY BATEMAN

Bateman is currently in his first season as co-defensive coordinator at North Carolina, where the Tar Heels rank eighth in the ACC in total defense (420.8 yd/g). Prior to his joining Mack Brown’s staff in 2019, Bateman was the coordinator at Army, where he led two top-ten defenses in five seasons.

Bateman’s time at West Point aligned with current Gamecocks’ President Bob Caslen’s, who was university superintendent with the the Black Knights from 2013 to 2018. The familiarity between the two, and Bateman’s proven success, could make him a prime candidate for South Carolina’s future defensive coordinator opening.

OPTION 2: BUD FOSTER

Foster retired following the 2019 season, ending a 33-year career as an assistant coach with the Virginia Tech Hokies. Foster took over the defensive coordinator role in Blacksburg in 1996, where his defenses finished among the top five in scoring seven times. The Hokies recorded more sacks  (889) and interceptions (334) than any other program in the nation under Foster’s lead.

It’s not known whether Foster would be open to the idea of coming out of retirement, after stepping down amid health issues following last season, but his relationship with Shane Beamer’s father, legendary Hokie head coach Frank Beamer, has people speculating.

OPTION 3: DEREK MASON

Mason was let go as Vanderbilt’s head coach just last week, but he should be able to land on his feet in a defensive role quickly. With the Commodores, Mason was able to do more with less on that side of the ball, twice having his defenses rank among the SEC’s top five units in scoring.

Prior to his time in Nashville, he spent three seasons calling defenses on the West Coast as a coordinator at Stanford. Under his watch, the Cardinal tallied three straight 11-win seasons, finishing 30th, 11th, and 10th nationally in points allowed.

It may seem like a reach to hire a big name defensive coordinator immediately following his ousting as a head coach, particularly at a conference rival, but we’ve seen it in the SEC as early as last year. Look no further than current Arkansas coordinator Barry Odom, who was showed the door as head coach at Missouri in 2019, but has had great success with the defensive unit in Fayetteville this year.

Could South Carolina go the same route? Time will tell, but Mason would certainly be a splash hire that could help the Gamecocks get back on the map.