What should South Carolina look for in an OC?

Shane Beamer has a critical offensive coordinator search on his hands, a hire that’s not expected to be made until sometime after the regular season.

The fifth-year head coach has spoken of looking for someone who can help “elevate” the Gamecocks’ offense, pointing out the inconsistencies that have at times haunted USC’s offense during his tenure.

What should South Carolina be looking for in the guy who will call plays during the 2026 season?

There are three main things, we think.

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Quarterback recruiting and development

The last several years, South Carolina has not lacked talent at the quarterback position.

Spencer Rattler is an NFL talent. So is LaNorris Sellers.

A theme of the 2025 season is Sellers not taking the expected step forward in his game, but actually seeming to regress in some areas.

There are a lot of reasons for that, to be sure.

A new offensive coordinator needs to be able to identify talent that fits the system that the Gamecocks want to run and needs to be able to close those guys on the trail.

Then, once that talent is on campus, the coach needs to be able to accelerate the learning curve and help his quarterbacks. This means having a scheme that’s quarterback-friendly, and having the teaching ability to maximize good decision-making and execution.

System and identity

Maybe “identity” is an overused term at times when it comes to offensive football.

But there’s something to the fact that there have been points in which South Carolina has lacked one on that side of the ball.

Shane Beamer’s mentioned multiple times over the years that he wants to be balanced on offense, and that’s certainly a worthy goal.

You’d like to be able to point to the offense, say “this is what we do, this is what we hang our hat on”, and be able to do it effectively.

We’ll give one example here, with the caveat that we don’t have any idea at this point if this person is an actual target at this point.

Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Kade Bell has a unique system that’s blended concepts from his father, Kerwin Bell’s, foundation, that also mixes Joe Brady’s concepts and tempo.

The results have been quite good; Pitt is ninth in the NCAA in scoring offense this season.

There are other successful systems, of course.

This seems like an area you want to nail in the next hire.

Recent track record of proven success

The last three offensive coordinators in Columbia had a gap between their last playcalling experience and taking the reins in Columbia.

Before Marcus Satterfield’s first season in 2021, his last OC appointment was during the 2015 season at Temple; he was also involved with his offense as head coach at Tennessee Tech.

Dowell Loggains’ gap was shorter; his last season as an NFL coordinator was in 2020. He then spent a few months as an analyst at Penn State prior to moving to Arkansas as tight ends coach for two seasons.

Mike Shula’s last playcalling stint was in 2019 in the NFL; he was a position coach or assistant in the league after that prior to serving as a senior offensive assistant working with the quarterbacks in Columbia last season.

Here’s to thinking that the next guy is more likely to be a sitting playcaller somewhere.

Who has been able to field offenses that have thrived where USC’s struggled in the last several years, speaking of tackles for loss and sacks?

On top of that, who’s had proven success as of late moving the ball and scoring points, whether it’s at the Power 4, Group of 6, FCS, or whatever level?

There are candidates out there that fit this bill. Sure, culture fit and bringing in someone who can help your team play the type of complementary football you want as a coach is important.

But the hire has to be someone who can change the scoreboard on offense.

The Insiders Forum: Discuss the OC search!