After a 4-8 season, three assistants off Santa’s naughty list, and Gamecock fans crossing a bowl game off their Christmas list, the next round of changes for South Carolina football is set to be unwrapped Thursday morning. The Gamecocks are finalizing hires for three key positions, reportedly bringing in TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, offensive line coach Randy Clements, and Penn State running backs coach Stan Drayton.
Meet the Three New Coaches Joining the Gamecocks
Briles and Clements will arrive in Columbia from Fort Worth, Texas, where both were part of Sonny Dykes' staff at TCU. Briles took over play-calling duties in 2023 after former TCU OC Garrett Riley departed from Clemson. Clements joined the Horned Frogs ahead of the 2025 season following a coaching shuffle at North Carolina. The two also share coaching history at Baylor, where they previously worked together on the offensive side of the ball.
Drayton's path to Columbia comes after an upheaval at Penn State. He served as the running backs coach but became available after James Franklin was fired and former Iowa State head coach Matt Cambell was hired last week. Drayton brings prior head coaching experience from Temple, though his tenure there ended last fall after a 9-25 record across three seasons.
The incoming trio will replace Mike Shula, Lonnie Teasley, and Marquel Blackwell. Teasley and Shula were dismissed during the latter part of the season, while Blackwell was let go shortly after the season concluded. With these hires, Beamer is clearly signaling a structural overhaul as he looks to stabilize the program ahead of the 2026 season.