Shane Beamer explains decision to add Geoff Collins to coaching staff

Shane Beamer is particular when it comes to his coaching staff and who he brings aboard. He doesn’t just hire people for the sake of hiring people. That’s not what he’s about.

There has to be a reason for it. It has to make sense and be the right move. In the case of his latest hire, adding Geoff Collins as a senior defensive assistant coach on Sunday, there’s a good reason why.

“He’s a really talented coach,” Beamer said at Birdies with Beamer on Monday. “You look at his background in coaching, the places he’s been, who he’s worked with, the roles he’s had. Obviously, he’s been a defensive coordinator in the SEC. He’s been in the personnel world, doing that at Alabama for Nick Saban back when they really cranked it up as well. So he’s got that experience.”

Collins, who’s been in the coaching industry for 28 years, is now the fourth former head coach on South Carolina’s staff. He previously coached at Temple from 2017-18 and Georgia Tech from 2019-22.

“I think anytime you can have multiple head coaches on your staff, that’s a great thing,” Beamer said. “We have that with Shawn Elliott and Mike Shula and Mike Furrey as well, guys that have been head coaches that are on our staff now.”

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The biggest thing that stuck out to Beamer about Collins was his familiarity with many of the coaches who are already on staff. Over the years, he’s had a chance to work with a few of the team’s assistants at other schools.

“He and Clayton White worked together at Western Carolina. He was the defensive coordinator at Florida. His defensive backs coach was Torrian Gray,” Beamer said. “When he was the head coach at Georgia Tech, Trey Money, who works at our linebackers, was on that staff. Obviously, he and Derrick Moore worked together at Georgia Tech. He and George Wynn worked together at Florida. … There’s people on our staff that know Geoff.”

Even Beamer himself has had a history of working with Collins in the past. After graduating from Virginia Tech in 1999, Beamer’s first coaching stop came at Georgia Tech as a graduate assistant in 2000. Also working at Georgia Tech that same year? Collins, who was a graduate assistant as well.

“He and I were graduate assistants together at Georgia Tech back in 2000 and shared an office together,” Beamer said. “This was back when you didn’t have giant staffs of like analysts and quality control people. You basically had two GAs, and me and Geoff shared an office together back in 2000 and developed a good relationship and have kept in touch.”

READ HERE: What will Geoff Collins role be at South Carolina?

In addition to his experience as a head coach, Collins spent 12 years at prior stops working as a defensive coordinator. Six of those seasons were in the SEC with Mississippi State and Florida from 2011-16. He was also the director of player personnel at Alabama during Nick Saban’s first season in 2007.

Given his track record of working with defenses, along with being experienced in the SEC, the decision to hire him made the most sense for Beamer. With an already established defensive staff, he sees Collins being another piece who can help make the group better.

“I think when you add another guy that has coordinated defenses,” he said, “just the ideas that he can bring to that room to help Clayton and the rest of that staff, ideas that he can bring to me as a former head coach, as well as recruiting ideas. He’s been around a lot of really good coaches and a lot of really good programs.”

As far as what Collins’ role as senior defensive assistant will look like, Beamer and his staff have a plan in place. But he admitted it’s still a work in progress as preseason camp begins on Friday.

“I think he got to Columbia, I think, literally, this afternoon, and is already at work,” Beamer said. “… From a personal standpoint, professional standpoint, there were a lot of reasons he wanted to be here. So we’re excited we were able to add him.”

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