Who Could Be South Carolina's OC In The Gator Bowl?
Head coach Shane Beamer has a bevy of tasks he must accomplish in the weeks leading up to the Gator Bowl. One of those tasks involves figuring out who South Carolina's interim offensive coordinator will be in the Gamecocks bowl matchup against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
While there's no doubt that the game-planning portion will be a collective effort, only one coach can relay the calls on December 30th, so who could that be?
Justin Stepp
The Case For Stepp
Stepp has been considered one of the top young coaches in college football for years, as he was invited to the AFCA's 35 under 35 Coaches Leadership Institute in 2018. There's a thought that Stepp is ready to take on, at the minimum, a co-offensive coordinator role shortly due to the stripes he's more than earned so far in his coaching career.
The Case Against Stepp
Stepp has never called plays before at any level of football, and considering what's on the line against Notre Dame in terms of how the perception could change around South Carolina's football program. It would be a lot of pressure on someone who's never been given such an assignment.
Pete Lembo
The Case For Lembo
Lembo has had, by the fair, the most significant individual impact on the staff this season and has also called plays before at the collegiate level. Combined with the extra preparation time and his attention to detail, he could fit this role perfectly on a one-game basis.
The Case Against Lembo
While Pete Lembo has called plays in the past, it was only for one year back in 1997 when he was coaching at Hampden-Sydney College, and with how good the special teams unit has been this season, it might not be the greatest idea to mess up what's been cooking with that unit potentially.
Shane Beamer
The Case For Beamer
Besides keeping the energy level high and making general in-game decisions each week, Beamer doesn't have any specific position group he coaches. This means it could be more feasible for him to handle offensive play-calling duties.
The Case Against Beamer
Like Stepp, Beamer has never called plays on the offensive side of the ball. With the ongoing offensive coordinator search he's currently involved in, it could be too much to handle with all of his other opportunities.
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