South Carolina Football: Former Gamecock gets first on-field coaching job

South Carolina football lost tight ends coach Jody Wright earlier this offseason. After two years in Columbia, Wright got his first head coaching job as he became the headman at Murray State.

Since joining the Racers, Wright has hired a couple of former Gamecocks to his first coaching staff.

Tyler Zielenske is the new special teams coordinator for MSU after spending the 2023 season in Columbia working under Pete Lembo as a special teams analyst with the Gamecocks.

Zeb Noland, who famously took off the coaching polo to don a helmet for one final year of eligibility with the Gamecocks, also joined the Murray State coaching staff this offseason. Noland will be the quarterbacks coach in Murray, Kentucky this fall.

On Wednesday, another former Gamecock found his way to Wright's staff.

Former Gamecock defensive back and graduate assistant Jaylin Dickerson will be the cornerbacks coach for the Murray State Racers, his first on-field coaching duties.

Dickerson originally arrived in Columbia as part of the 2017 recruiting class but could never stay on the field with much regularity due to a variety of injuries. After making multiple comeback attempts, Dickerson was forced to retire from the game of football. After his retirement, he became a student assistant on Shane Beamer's staff.

Dickerson was primarily a safety during his playing days, but thanks to the cross-training efforts of former South Carolina football head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson, every Gamecock defensive back learned every secondary position during Dickerson's first four years of college. That experience, plus his time working with the defensive backs as a coach, should have him ready for his role with Murray State.

Murray State will open their season with an opponent familiar to the Gamecocks. The Missouri Tigers will host the Racers on August 31st, the same day that South Carolina football plays host to the Old Dominion Monarchs.