Though spring practice began for South Carolina football on Tuesday, they did not have day 2 of practice on Wednesday. However, coordinators Dowell Loggains (offensive coordinator) and Clayton White (defensive coordinator) spoke to the media.
One of the most interesting pieces of information to come from the coordinator press conferences came from the mouth of offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains who shared that the Gamecocks had hired former Alabama head coach Mike Shula to the staff as an analyst to help out with the offense.
Based on the timing of Loggains' comment about Shula (during a discussion on quarterbacks at practice), it stands to reason that Shula will do most of his work with the quarterback position. Adding Shula to the staff means that yet another former head coach works for Shane Beamer. Shula joins Shawn Elliott (Georgia State) and Mike Furrrey (Kentucky Christian, Limestone) in that regard.
Shula has been in coaching for over 35 years, More than 30 of those seasons were spent in the NFL, coaching as an offensive assistant with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills. 10 of those seasons were spent as an offensive coordinator. He overlapped with current South Carolina football special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Shula, perhaps more famously, was the starting quarterback at Alabama and eventually returned to his alma mater as the head coach. From 2003-2006, Shula was the head man in Tuscaloosa before being replaced by the eventual GOAT, Nick Saban. Shula was 1-1 against the Gamecocks during his time as the Alabama football coach, winning at Williams-Brice Stadium but losing at Bryant-Denny.
Shula is the son of all-time winningest NFL coach Don Shula who coached the 1972 Miami Dolphins to the NFL's only undefeated season in the Super Bowl era.