South Carolina defensive assistant one of many staffers ready to step up

South Carolina defensive line coach Travian Robertson was involved in a car crash on Aug. 22 that killed one and left Robertson hospitalized.

Robertson, driving his 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe east on U.S. 76, collided with a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder that crossed the center line and hit Robertson’s car head-on. The Pathfinder’s driver, Kelly Johnson, a 35-year-old Columbia resident, died at the scene.

The injuries Robertson sustained have sidelined the third-year assistant for Sunday’s opener against Virginia Tech. With Robertson out, defensive assistant Jordan Dove steps up to oversee South Carolina’s defensive line.

Get GamecockCentral for $1 your first week. As a bonus, your membership includes a complimentary year of The Athletic.

Head coach Shane Beamer said Wednesday that everyone’s role grows with Robertson out. Dove will have help from defensive end and outside linebacker coach Sterling Lucas.

Dove began his career with the Gamecocks as an equipment manager while studying for his undergraduate degree in Sports and Entertainment Management.

After serving as a graduate assistant for two years, Dove earned the title of defensive assistant entering the 2025 season.

“He was one of those guys who kind of, not begged us, but kind of kept putting apples on my desk, trying to make sure he wanted to get upstairs and become a coach,” defensive coordinator Clayton White said Thursday. “… He was locked in as a student, as an undergrad, probably a freshman or sophomore here, he came up here with a suit and tie.”

Dove became heavily involved in day-to-day operations after becoming a coach with South Carolina, White said. Most of the work happens during the week, which Dove is already a part of with position meetings.

“So when we’re in those own position rooms, Jordan Dove is in there, like he is every day with the defensive tackles, and he’s talking about our game plan and Virginia Tech and whatnot,” Beamer said.
“And then during the game, most of the work is done. At that point, Jordan is typically in the press box for us.”

Beamer pushes his staff members to ensure someone is ready in case of an emergency.

“So very unfortunate things happen here, but there’s a linebacker coach that’s ready, there’s a D-line coach that’s ready. There’s an edge coach that’s ready, and there’s two or three DB coaches that are ready,” White said. “So this is one of those things that we kind of, not saying prepared for this exact thing, but we want to make sure that we’re good to go.”

One thing White noted about Dove is that he’s an incredibly smart coach who is full of energy.

“That kind of fits right in with Tray Rob,” White said. “So they’re really very similar in regard to just passion for this university and then passion for teaching the details of that position. So it’s been awesome … it’s always fun to be around him.”

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!