South Carolina football: Shane Beamer in Starkville to meet Zach Arnett

South Carolina football’s head coach reportedly meeting with a DC candidate.

Rumors are beginning to surface that South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is on his way to Starkville, MS to meet with defensive coordinator Zach Arnett. GamecockCentral (Rivals) was the first source to report the breaking news.

Beamer was initially scheduled to have a press conference this afternoon to introduce the Gamecocks’ new wide receiver coach Justin Stepp, but that interview has been postponed.

South Carolina has made nearly every hire to the staff, with the defensive coordinator position being the largest outlier. Names like Derek Mason and Kevin Steele have been thrown around as potential candidates, but the news of Beamer’s meeting with Arnett could end the search.

Arnett just finished up his first season with Mississippi State, where he led the Bulldogs to a fifth place finish among SEC defenses. His unit notched 25 sacks on the year, while also forcing opponents into 18 turnovers.

The Bulldogs finished fifth in the league in interceptions (11), returning three for scores, while the sack totals ranked sixth in the conference.

Prior to joining the staff in Starkville, Arnett called defenses at San Diego State. He spent nine years with the Aztecs, with his final two as coordinator. In 2019, his defense finished in the top 10 nationally in rushing defense, scoring defense, interceptions, first downs allowed, total defense, passing efficiency defense, and takeaways.

The year prior, San Diego State finished 21st nationally in total defense, and seventh defending the run.

Arnett is seen as a rising star on the defensive side of the ball, and would be a huge get for Shane Beamer, who’s looking to round out the defensive staff. Arnett has also been named as a top target for new Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian.