Way-Too-Early Look: South Carolina Gamecocks

Football season is less than 100 days away for the 2021 Clemson Tigers, so it is time to begin our way-too-early look at each of the opponents on the Tigers' schedule.

Head Coach: Shane Beamer was named the University of South Carolina's 36th head football coach in December of 2020, following the firing of former head coach Will Muschamp.

"I believe that Shane Beamer is the perfect fit to be the head football coach at the University of South Carolina," said Tanner. "He has worked under some of the greatest coaches in college football and has taken those lessons to become one of the bright, young minds in the game. I believe Shane's energy, enthusiasm, commitment and fondness for our school and program will be met favorably by our student-athletes, staff and fans."

Beamer, 43, has been an assistant coach at seven Football Bowl Subdivision schools for 21 seasons. During his career, he has coached in 17 bowl games, including a College Football Playoff National Championship Game, has posted 18 non-losing seasons, six of those with double-digit victories and his teams have won 62.5 percent of its games.

"I have been preparing for this moment my entire life," said Beamer. "I am ready and excited to be the head football coach at the University of South Carolina. I am thankful to all the head coaches that I have worked for, the assistant coaches and student-athletes I have worked with. My family and I are thrilled to be coming back to Columbia and the state of South Carolina."

Gamecocks on offense: University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer named Marcus Satterfield as the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Jan. 10, 2021.

Satterfield comes to Columbia with over 20 years of coaching experience in the college ranks, including two years as a head coach at Tennessee Tech. He has spent the past three years working under the tutelage of Matt Rhule, first as the director of recruiting at Baylor in 2018, then as the Bears’ tight ends coach in 2019 before spending the 2020 season as the assistant offensive line coach for the Carolina Panthers.


Satterfield had a brief stint in 2018 at East Tennessee State where he served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, before joining Baylor.

Prior to his appointment at ETSU, he served as head coach at Tennessee Tech from 2016-17. In 2016, Satterfield led the Golden Eagles to their first winning conference season since 2011 as Tennessee Tech went 5-3 in the Ohio Valley Conference.

From 2013-15, Satterfield was the offensive coordinator at Temple where he helped guide the Owls to historic marks. In his first year at Temple, Satterfield's offense averaged nearly 400 yards per game, which was the most by an Owl team since 1979. Temple earned the 2015 American Athletic Conference east division title and posted a 10-win season.

Satterfield also held offensive coordinator roles at Chattanooga (2009-12) and UT Martin (2006-07). In 2010, Satterfield's Chattanooga offense averaged 430 yards and scored 49 touchdowns, which ranked 11th nationally. During his time at UT Martin, the Skyhawks led the OVC in scoring offense in 2007 and 2008, while also leading the league in total offense in 2007.

Gamecocks on defense: University of South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer named Clayton White as the Gamecocks’ defensive coordinator on Jan. 10, 2021.

White, 43, is a three-time Frank Broyles Award nominee for the nation's top assistant coach (2017, 2019 and 2020) and an 18-year coaching veteran. He has spent the past four seasons as the defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach at Western Kentucky University.

In 2020, the Hilltoppers ranked 28th in total defense, including eighth in the nation in passing defense, allowing just 177.3 yards per game though the air. WKU was third in the nation with 68 passes defended and the defense scored three touchdowns.

In 2019, WKU produced a top 25 overall defense in the third season of White's Multiple 4-2-5 scheme. WKU allowed only 20.1 total points per game, which was the lowest mark for the program since 2004 and ranked No. 22 in FBS. Junior defensive end DeAngelo Malone was voted 2019 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after producing 99 total tackles – including 21 for loss – with 11.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hurries.

WKU held opponents to a 29.7 percent rate (51-of-172) on 3rd-down attempts, which ranked sixth in FBS and was the lowest mark for the program since 1987. The Hilltoppers ranked third in FBS with only 82 missed tackles all season long. Only Michigan (74) and Air Force (81) had better such numbers.