Will Five New Assistant Coaches Make A Difference?
posted by Scott Hood, Monday, January 19, 2009
That’s a lot of turnover from one season to the next considering the head coach hasn’t gone anywhere. But it’s evident Steve Spurrier realized he had to make drastic changes to move the Gamecock program forward.
As evidence of that, he was willing to cut ties with long-time friend John Hunt, who had been a part of Spurrier’s staff for a decade.
If that move alone didn’t convince fans that winning is still paramount with Spurrier, nothing will.
But here’s the key question: will these five new coaches make a difference? Gamecock fans hope the answer is yes.
But, really, the answer lies squarely in the hands of the players. In short, the new coaches will make a difference IF the Gamecock players want them to. Ultimately, the coaches can produce the best schemes and best game plans, but if the players fail to execute or play with passion, the efforts of the coaches will fall by the wayside.
Is it a coincidence that three of the five new coaches are situated on the offensive side of the ball? Absolutely not. Of course, QB coach David Reaves left on his own to join his brother-in-law, Lane Kiffin, at Tennessee, while Robert Gillespie accepted a two-year contract at Oklahoma State.
Spurrier didn’t necessarily want to see Gillespie leave, but the fact he didn’t match the Cowboys offer shows no one is irreplaceable. I’m sure Spurrier is confident he can hire someone who is just as good of a coach as Gillespie, if not better.
Of course, whoever is hired as running backs coach takes over knowing they will answer to Eric Wolford, the new offensive line coach and running game coordinator.
The best compliment I heard about Wolford came from Illinois play-by-play announcer Brian Barnhart, who was interviewed recently on 107.5 The Game. Here is what Barnhart said:
“He was a great addition to our staff when he came in. . .He did a great job with our line. I think he was well liked by his players, and respected by others on the coaching staff. He really put together a good line. He is a very energetic guy. . .He is still young enough to relate well to young guys. He was a great recruiter for us. . .Eric really stood out on our staff. . .I think the fans realize the job he did with the offensive line. I know Ron Zook did. He’s really the complete package as being an excellent recruiter, he relates well to kinds, he has a good sense of humor, he knows how to get their attention. . .I think someday he has the potential to be a head coach somewhere. . .Wherever he’s gone, he’s had results.”
Will Wolford be an improvement over John Hunt, as Spurrier hopes? Sure sounds like it.
Now that Chris Smelley has decided to transfer to Alabama, leaving Stephen Garcia as the only experienced quarterback, the importance of the hiring of G.A. Mangus as quarterbacks coach is compounded.
By the way, USC goes to Tuscaloosa next season. Gee, do you think Smelley will provide an in-depth scouting report to Alabama’s defensive coaches? Nah.
One aspect of the Mangus hiring I like is that coaching the USC quarterbacks will be his ONLY job. David Reaves may have been an adequate QB coach, but, let’s face it, his main job was recruiting coordinator.
As a result, I’m not sure the quarterbacks got the attention they needed. Spurrier, I’m sure, had input during the week, but he was usually busy putting together the game plan or looking over the shoulder of some of the other assistant coaches.
Starting with spring practice, that will end. Garcia and Mangus will be hitched at the hip. Hopefully, a heavier volume of coaching will help Garcia reach his potential.
He will certainly get every opportunity to do just that. Without question, the development of Garcia will dominate spring practice. The fact Mangus will be right there breaking down every snap should be helpful. As a result of all the hands-on coaching, I’m predicting Garcia’s performance will improve considerably next season.
Frankly, if it doesn’t, Garcia will have no one to blame but himself.
The departure of Ron Cooper is a classic example of addition by subtraction. Cooper has become a distraction on the staff, and Spurrier had no choice to cut him loose, which would have happened if Cooper hadn’t found a new job as secondary coach with LSU.
So, the hiring of Lorenzo Ward appears to be a positive move on two levels: first, he should prove to be a much better team player than Cooper was and, two, his long-time relationship with Ellis Johnson should invigorate USC’s new assistant head coach in charge of defense.
We return to the question: will these five new assistant coaches make a difference? On paper, the answer is yes. But, as we all know, the final exam doesn’t come until next fall when the games start.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
By the time spring practice rolls around in March, South Carolina will have five new assistant coaches, including strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzpatrick.
That’s a lot of turnover from one season to the next considering the head coach hasn’t gone anywhere. But it’s evident Steve Spurrier realized he had to make drastic changes to move the Gamecock program forward.
As evidence of that, he was willing to cut ties with long-time friend John Hunt, who had been a part of Spurrier’s staff for a decade.
If that move alone didn’t convince fans that winning is still paramount with Spurrier, nothing will.
But here’s the key question: will these five new coaches make a difference? Gamecock fans hope the answer is yes.
But, really, the answer lies squarely in the hands of the players. In short, the new coaches will make a difference IF the Gamecock players want them to. Ultimately, the coaches can produce the best schemes and best game plans, but if the players fail to execute or play with passion, the efforts of the coaches will fall by the wayside.
Is it a coincidence that three of the five new coaches are situated on the offensive side of the ball? Absolutely not. Of course, QB coach David Reaves left on his own to join his brother-in-law, Lane Kiffin, at Tennessee, while Robert Gillespie accepted a two-year contract at Oklahoma State.
Spurrier didn’t necessarily want to see Gillespie leave, but the fact he didn’t match the Cowboys offer shows no one is irreplaceable. I’m sure Spurrier is confident he can hire someone who is just as good of a coach as Gillespie, if not better.
Of course, whoever is hired as running backs coach takes over knowing they will answer to Eric Wolford, the new offensive line coach and running game coordinator.
The best compliment I heard about Wolford came from Illinois play-by-play announcer Brian Barnhart, who was interviewed recently on 107.5 The Game. Here is what Barnhart said:
“He was a great addition to our staff when he came in. . .He did a great job with our line. I think he was well liked by his players, and respected by others on the coaching staff. He really put together a good line. He is a very energetic guy. . .He is still young enough to relate well to young guys. He was a great recruiter for us. . .Eric really stood out on our staff. . .I think the fans realize the job he did with the offensive line. I know Ron Zook did. He’s really the complete package as being an excellent recruiter, he relates well to kinds, he has a good sense of humor, he knows how to get their attention. . .I think someday he has the potential to be a head coach somewhere. . .Wherever he’s gone, he’s had results.”
Will Wolford be an improvement over John Hunt, as Spurrier hopes? Sure sounds like it.
Now that Chris Smelley has decided to transfer to Alabama, leaving Stephen Garcia as the only experienced quarterback, the importance of the hiring of G.A. Mangus as quarterbacks coach is compounded.
By the way, USC goes to Tuscaloosa next season. Gee, do you think Smelley will provide an in-depth scouting report to Alabama’s defensive coaches? Nah.
One aspect of the Mangus hiring I like is that coaching the USC quarterbacks will be his ONLY job. David Reaves may have been an adequate QB coach, but, let’s face it, his main job was recruiting coordinator.
As a result, I’m not sure the quarterbacks got the attention they needed. Spurrier, I’m sure, had input during the week, but he was usually busy putting together the game plan or looking over the shoulder of some of the other assistant coaches.
Starting with spring practice, that will end. Garcia and Mangus will be hitched at the hip. Hopefully, a heavier volume of coaching will help Garcia reach his potential.
He will certainly get every opportunity to do just that. Without question, the development of Garcia will dominate spring practice. The fact Mangus will be right there breaking down every snap should be helpful. As a result of all the hands-on coaching, I’m predicting Garcia’s performance will improve considerably next season.
Frankly, if it doesn’t, Garcia will have no one to blame but himself.
The departure of Ron Cooper is a classic example of addition by subtraction. Cooper has become a distraction on the staff, and Spurrier had no choice to cut him loose, which would have happened if Cooper hadn’t found a new job as secondary coach with LSU.
So, the hiring of Lorenzo Ward appears to be a positive move on two levels: first, he should prove to be a much better team player than Cooper was and, two, his long-time relationship with Ellis Johnson should invigorate USC’s new assistant head coach in charge of defense.
We return to the question: will these five new assistant coaches make a difference? On paper, the answer is yes. But, as we all know, the final exam doesn’t come until next fall when the games start.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.