Kent State head coach Mark Carney is heading into Saturday’s season opener with his eyes wide open.
His Golden Flashes will walk into Williams-Brice Stadium to face South Carolina on Saturday afternoon, and it will be only the second meeting between the programs. For Carney, the setting is familiar, but the task is still a massive one. He spent 2022 as Charlotte’s offensive coordinator when the 49ers came to Columbia, so he already knows what kind of atmosphere Kent State is about to face.
“We got a great opportunity week one. We're going into an SEC environment, and it's one of the outstanding environments in all of college football,” Carney said in a press conference on Monday.
“One of my favorites in all the country, and against a team that's really, really hungry. Great coaches, great players.
Starting with their head guy, Shane Beamer.
“I was a child in the 90s. I remember when Beamer Ball was a thing before Michael Vick, and I can only imagine the relationships and the shoulders that coach Beamer's had throughout the course of his life that have helped shape him. He's done an outstanding job on special teams throughout his career at a bunch of different places and he's done outstanding work at his time at South Carolina.”
Carney enters his second season leading Kent State after a 5-7 finish and a 4-4 record in the MAC last year. That marked a clear step forward after the Golden Flashes went winless in 2024 under former coach Kenni Burns.
Even so, this group still has work to do, with several important pieces gone from last season’s roster. One major return, though, is starting quarterback Dru DeShields, who was named preseason All-MAC second team.
Carney also spent time breaking down the challenge posed by South Carolina’s staff on both sides of the ball. He called offensive coordinator Kendal Briles “a really sharp football coach” and praised the way Briles has built on old Baylor concepts while making the offense his own. Carney also pointed to the quarterback Briles had last season as one of the nation’s best and said he believes Briles is “one of the great quarterback coaches in our game.”
Defensively, Carney gave a strong nod to Clayton White.
“Then defensively, Clayton White has been there for a while, and one of the most underrated coordinators probably defensively in the country. Sound, leverages football well.
Always has his guys prepared and has the ability to throw multiple looks to confuse the decision makers. So great challenge.”
He also noted several personal connections on South Carolina’s staff from his time at Charlotte, including Coach Drayton, Kriston, Luke Doty and LaFayette Stewart.
“On that staff, got a bunch of other great relationships,” he added. “Coach Drayton, Cleveland guy.
Kriston works in recruiting. We worked together.
Luke Doty, I recruited for a while. Coach LaFayette Stewart works in recruiting down there.
So a lot of great relationships from my time at Charlotte.”
What has stood out most to Carney in South Carolina’s team is the sheer size and athleticism. He said the Gamecocks’ speed, strength and physical profile jump off the screen, especially up front and on the edges.
“Just overall physicality and athleticism. People get recruited in the SEC for a reason,” he said.
“They're big, they're strong, they're physical. I saw something online the other day, and I know how to take those things.
But they're one of the bigger teams. I think they average like 240 pounds across their entire roster.
One of the bigger teams in college football. So size is impressive.
“They've got those edge players with super long wingspans that are very, very twitchy, and a quarterback that's extremely strong and hard to tackle. Defensive and offensive linemen that are touched by God physically. That impresses me, and they can all run.”
In Other News...
Former Gamecock Xzavier McLeods College Path Took Another Turn
Xzavier McLeods winding college football path has taken another unexpected turn. After leaving South Carolina in 2023 and transferring to Georgia, the former Gamecocks defensive lineman became a steady part of the Bulldogs roster, appearing in 25 games over two seasons before his departure from the program.
Now McLeod is no longer with Georgia and has said he is retired from football, closing the door on a career that briefly stretched across two SEC programs. For South Carolina fans, it is another reminder of how quickly a players college journey can change, especially for someone who once looked like part of the future in Columbia before moving on and eventually stepping away from the game altogether. [Read more 🡒]
Former Gamecock DQ Smith Just Added A New Twist To Eligibility Drama
DQ Smiths path has taken another turn, and it has the kind of legal and roster wrinkle that has become increasingly familiar in college football. The former South Carolina defensive back is set to transfer to Virginia Tech for the 2026 season, giving him a fresh landing spot after entering the portal in August 2024 and navigating a complicated eligibility landscape tied to NCAA rules.
For Gamecock fans, the interesting part is not just where Smith is headed, but where he is not. South Carolinas staff opted not to pursue a reunion even with his experience and ability to play, leaving the door open for him to move on and continue his career elsewhere while the broader eligibility issue keeps shaping possibilities across the sport. [Read more 🡒]
Arch Manning Hype Just Put South Carolina In A Huge Draft Debate
Arch Mannings name is already hovering over the 2027 NFL Draft conversation, and the evaluation split has only made it more interesting for South Carolina fans watching the SEC from the side. Some talent evaluators see the Texas quarterback as the class top passer, while others are pumping the brakes and pointing to questions about accuracy, consistency and whether his college rsum is ready to support that kind of projection.
For a Gamecocks audience, the debate matters because it could shape the next few seasons of SEC football before any draft decision is even on the table. Mannings performance in college, including the completion rates that get cited in these early assessments, will keep drawing scrutiny every time Texas is in the spotlight, and the real tension now is whether he keeps building toward the top of the board or forces scouts to revisit the doubts that already have some of them divided. [Read more 🡒]