The South Carolina Gamecocks are reportedly hiring Georgia State Panthers head coach Shawn Elliott as their new tight ends coach. The shocking development makes Elliott the latest head coach to vacate his position to pursue an assistant job elsewhere.
Shawn Elliott Hired as South Carolina Assistant
Elliott has been head coach of the Panthers since 2017, with a 41-44 record over that span. The Camden, South Carolina native now returns home to the team he spent much of the 2010s with.
The former Georgia State HC was on the Gamecocks’ staff between 2010 and 2016 under Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp in various roles.
Between 2010-2011, Elliott was an offensive line coach and run game coordinator, before transitioning to co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach between 2012 and 2014.
In 2015, he was named interim head coach in South Carolina after Spurrier resigned. However, the interim HC went 1-5 and returned to being an OL coach in 2016.
Elliott’s big break came in 2017 when he was announced as Georgia State’s head coach. Under his leadership, the Panthers had five winning seasons and became bowl eligible five times, winning four of them — most recently beating Utah State 45-22 in the 2023 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
In his coaching career, Elliott also spent over a decade as an assistant coach at Appalachian State.
On3 reports that Elliott will now become the Gamecocks’ tight ends coach while also holding a run-game coordinator role. The former Gamecocks’ TE coach, Justin Stepp, left the position to become the wide receivers coach at Illinois.
Stepp had just been moved from WRs coach to TEs coach during the offseason, with South Carolina’s 2023 TEs coach, Jody Wright, taking on the opportunity to become Murray State’s head coach.
The timing of the hire, as well as the nature, comes as a surprise. Georgia State began their spring practice two days ago, but the lure of a return to the Gamecocks must have been too much.
Elliott’s history with the program left a lasting impression in Columbia, South Carolina, with the former Panthers HC a part of the staff that oversaw the most successful period in Gamecocks history.
He now gets an opportunity to cement his legacy returning to his beloved South Carolina. It’s a great move for Gamecocks HC Shane Beamer, as Elliott could have a profound impact on their 2024 success.
There were big expectations for the Gamecocks in 2023, but they ultimately couldn’t live up to the hype, finishing 5-7. However, a strong recruiting class and transfer portal showed signs that the program was heading in the right direction.
Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has transferred over from Arkansas, and Elliott will be tasked with utilizing the running back to his full potential. TEs Joshua Simon and Michael Smith should also be excited about the hirte.
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Simon had 28 receptions for 256 yards and two touchdowns in 2023 and factors to be a bigger presence in 2024. Smith heads to Columbia as a freshman out of Calvary Day School in Savannah, Georgia, and a four-star recruit.
Elliott is the latest head coach to resign from his role, signaling a shift in college football. We’ve seen a flurry of activity on the coaching cycle this offseason, with coaches heading to the NFL or resigning to take an assistant role with Power Five programs.
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