5 reasons to believe South Carolina football can be better than expected on offense

5 Reasons South Carolina Football Will Be Better on Offense in 2024:
Coaching Changes

This offseason, the South Carolina football coaching staff underwent a bit of a makeover.

Shane Beamer fired running backs coach Montario Hardesty after the team posted its worst-ever rushing season last year; he was replaced by Marquel Blackwell. He also went through a hiring saga at the wide receivers coach position as Justin Stepp was moved to tight ends (after Jody Wright became the head coach at Murray State) and then left the program, James Coley was hired, and then Mike Furrey took over after Coley left for Georgia. Shawn Elliott left his head coaching gig at Georgia State to become the tight ends coach and run game coordinator. Mike Shula joined the staff to help with quarterbacks and game planning, and Ryan Yurachek will assist Elliott with tight ends.

The changes should be a positive for the Gamecocks.

The running backs and wide receivers underperformed last season, but the additions of Blackwell and Furrey, respectively, should inject some new life into those position rooms and into the recruiting efforts. Shula brings a wealth of experience to the table to help offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains, as well.

Elliott's hire might be the most impactful, though.

He was the offensive line coach, run game coordinator, and co-offensive coordinator during his previous years with the South Carolina football program, so it will be interesting to see how that might impact his current run game coordinator/tight ends coach title. Having Yurachek around to help with the tight ends will free Elliott up some for his run game coordinator role.

Those who watched Carolina play last year know that the Gamecocks needed a change in how they tried to run the football. Elliott has had success everywhere he has been at installing solid rushing attacks, especially when he has a mobile quarterback to deploy. Redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers fits his zone/zone read system well and is the perfect type of quarterback to run the offense that Loggains worked with previously at Arkansas.

Strength and conditioning coach Luke Day was retained, but he has changed some of his practices this offseason. So far, the results seen in media day photoshoots and updated weight listings on the roster seem to indicate that those changes are for the better.

The coaching changes brought some new (and potentially better) voices to Columbia but also indicate a change in style that should benefit the Gamecocks as they look to be better at pushing the ball across the goal line.