South Carolina football: Gamecocks adding Will Friend to coaching staff

South Carolina football is expected to bring in new OL coach.

Shane Beamer has been at the helm at South Carolina for a little over two weeks, and he’s finally in Columbia full time after wrapping up a conference championship with the Oklahoma Sooners last Saturday. Beamer can now focus on recruiting efforts and the program’s vision for the future, but one key part of that future has created some unrest among Gamecock Nation.

South Carolina fans are clamoring for updates on the new coaching staff, one that Beamer promised would be ‘premiere.’ As is the case in today’s news environment, announcements are wanted immediately. Fans don’t care that potential hires are still finishing up their conference championships or bowl preparations, they want to know now. Well, it looks like they may have gotten their wish on Tuesday.

A report from Football Scoop is saying that Shane Beamer is close to hiring Tennessee offensive line coach Will Friend. The announcement comes shortly after the Volunteers stated that they’ll no longer play in a bowl game.

The hire is a familiar one to some of the current Carolina staff, as Friend has worked side by side with offensive coordinator and interim head coach Mike Bobo at both Georgia and Colorado State.

The offensive assistant has been in Knoxville for three seasons now, and he makes the move amid some uncertainty within the Tennessee coaching staff. Many have speculated that head coach Jeremy Pruitt could be fired either this year or next.

Friend was a two-time All-SEC performer at Alabama, and has made coaching stops at UAB, Gardner-Webb, and West Alabama, in addition to the three schools previously mentioned.

Details on the agreement have yet to surface, but Football Scoop expects future hires to become clear in the coming days.