South Carolina football: Greg Adkins hired as offensive line coach
By Jacob Elsey
The South Carolina football staff is complete.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer made the final addition to his staff this week, announcing the hiring of Greg Adkins. Adkins will take over as the Gamecocks’ new offensive line coach, replacing Eric Wolford, who left to take a similar position with SEC Eastern division rival Kentucky.
Adkins was introduced today as the hire was made official. He signed a two-year deal with an annual salary of $550,000.
Adkins has familiarity with a few coaches on staff, most notably, new offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield. The two were on staff together at Tennessee in the early 2000s.
Adkins comes from Marshall, where he spent the last three seasons. It was his second stint with the Thundering Herd, as he served as an assistant in Huntington between 1991-1995. Last season, the Marshall offensive line had three all-conference selections, including second-team All-American right guard Cain Madden.
The Thundering Herd allowed just 12 sacks for the entire year, which was the 13th-best mark in all of college football. Marshall also surrendered just 3.5 tackles for loss per game, which ranked fourth in the NCAA.
Adkins has also made stops at Georgia, Syracuse, Troy, Charlotte, and Oklahoma State. The new hire brings with him SEC coaching experience and a familiarity with the area. Shane Beamer had nothing but positive things to say about him in his introductory presser.
"“Greg is a veteran offensive line coach who has had a lot of success everywhere he’s been. He has SEC experience. Marcus Satterfield and I both worked with him at Tennessee and he’s also worked at Georgia. He’s an elite recruiter and builds great relationships with his players.”"
He will take over an offensive line group that returns some talent. Dylan Wonnum, Jaz Turnetine, Jakai Moore, Vershon Lee, and Eric Douglas are all set to come back in 2021, after making starts last season. The only loss to the starting front is that of senior Sadarius Hutcherson, who’s off to the NFL.
With the staff now complete, Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks can focus on finishing out the recruiting class and preparing for the upcoming 2021 season.