OC Hunt Heats Up: Who’s Calling the Shots?
South Carolina has been without a permanent offensive coordinator since firing Mike Shula on November 2. Wide receivers coach and interim play-caller Mike Furrey boosted the offense from 19.6 to 31.6 points per game over the season’s final three contests. Now, whispers point to Kendal Briles—former Arkansas OC and current TCU play-caller known for his air-raid schemes—as the leading candidate. Briles, son of ex-Baylor coach Art Briles, has racked up six stops and powered TCU to a 425.3 yards-per-game attack in 2025. A hire could mark a shift from Shane Beamer’s NFL-style coordinators to a more modern, high-octane college offense—and it might decide Beamer’s future in Columbia.
Beamer’s OC search has become the Southeastern Conference’s hottest reality show: “America’s Next Top Play-Caller.” Viewers tune in to see if the next hire will be a washed-up retread or the next genius behind a 50-point explosion. Will Kendal Briles save the day, or will someone from the Briles family tree deliver another dumpster fire? Stay tuned, because if the Gamecocks don’t skyrocket their offense, Beamer might find himself auditioning for “Coach Swap” come next season.
Gamecocks Reveal Kent State as 2026 Curtain-Raiser
South Carolina announced that its 2026 season opener on September 5 will be against Kent State at Williams-Brice Stadium. The Golden Eagles went 5-7 in 2025, giving up 57.3 points per game against Power Four foes while scoring just 24 total in those matchups. The programs met once before in 1995, with Steve Taneyhill throwing four touchdowns in a 77-14 Gamecock romp—a modern record 77 points. Under the SEC’s new nine-game conference slate, South Carolina will play three out-of-conference contests: Kent State, Towson, and Clemson, plus nine league games to be scheduled later.
Nothing says “ticket sales bonanza” like opening against a team that surrendered a basketball score every Saturday. But hey, who wouldn’t want to watch the Gamecocks chase a 30-point lead before halftime? And kudos to the SEC for trimming one non-conference game so we can cram in more clashes between Newell-Dash cosmos and overpriced tailgate plazas. At least we’ll all have bragging rights when South Carolina finally relives that ’95 blowout—because nothing screams “progress” like recycling the same ancient lopsided beatdown.
Leave a Reply