South Carolina Football: Former Gamecock great and NFL tackle welcomed back as defensive line coach

EDIT: The report from Chris Clark has now been confirmed by the South Carolina football program and the University of South Carolina.

According to a report from GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark, South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer has already zeroed in on a replacement for defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey, who left the program just a few days ago to take the same position at LSU. Former South Carolina great Travian Robertson will be named the defensive line coach for his alma mater.

Robertson was an All-SEC defensive tackle for the Steve Spurrier-led Gamecocks. He played from 2007-2011, which overlapped with Beamer’s tenure as an assistant coach (2007-2010). After a great career in garnet and black, the Gamecock captain had a three-year career in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and short stints with both the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.

When his playing days ended, Robertson got into coaching. After a short time as a graduate assistant at Georgia State and as the defensive line coach for the Division-II Albany State Golden Rams, he returned to Atlanta to be the defensive line coach for Georgia State where he coached current Gamecock EDGE Jordan Strachan. Leading the Panthers’ D-Line, Robertson became a rising star in the coaching world as his unit became one of the best pass rush groups in the nation.

A brief stop in New Orleans was next as Robertson became the defensive line coach for the Tulane Green Wave. However, as Jimmy Lindsey left the Gamecocks to head to southern Louisiana, Travian Robertson left southern Louisiana to head home to the Gamecocks.

South Carolina football fans should be ecstatic with the hire. He is a former player, which brings positive energy and success in recruiting, and his on-field coaching results speak for themselves. He has been a quick riser through the coaching ranks, and he led the Georgia State Panthers to a top-7 sack total in 2021 despite playing a predominantly run-heavy schedule. He also led the Panthers’ defensive line unit to a school record for fewest yards allowed per rush in 2020.

Coach Beamer usually reserved his #WelcomeHome tweets, so this time, he had the official Gamecock Football Twitter account handle it.

Robertson is expected to work primarily with defensive tackles just as his predecessor Lindsey did. Sterling Lucas will continue working with outside linebackers and defensive ends as he coached all EDGE players in 2022.