South Carolina’s football operation runs on a lot more than the 10 assistant coaches and Shane Beamer. The Gamecocks’ 2026 media guide lays out a sprawling support staff, the kind of behind-the-scenes infrastructure that keeps the program moving through the other 350 or so days of the year when there isn’t a game on the schedule.
On the field side, the staff includes Ben Burress as assistant TE, Dre Bly as Senio Defensive Assistant, Luke Doty as Defensive Assistant (DBs), Cade Fortin as Assistant WR, Jaylan Foster as Assistant DB, Kevin Hubbard as Assistant DL, Tanner Jackson as Defensive Assistant (DBs), Mike Krysl as Assistant Special Teams, Jacob Oeherlein as Assistant QB, Jason Smith as Assistant OL, Jordan Williams as Assistant DL, Todd Haynie as TE Assistant, Ben Rollins as Offensive Analyst (RB), Connor Schmitz as Analyst (Special Teams), and Mark Seybolt as Quality Control (Defense).
The strength and conditioning group is headed by Luke Day, with Chip Morton listed as Senior Associate Director and Mitch Okey, Nate Sedergren, Jamil Walker, Jakob Kurnat, Will Mullins and Mike Procino all working in assistant roles. Day is in his sixth season at South Carolina after being hired to lead the football strength program on Jan.
10, 2021. He arrived in Columbia after the 2020 season at Marshall, his second stint with the Thundering Herd.
Before that, he spent 2019 at Colorado and previously served as Marshall’s head strength and conditioning coach from January 2016 through three seasons.
Recruiting and scouting is another big piece of the operation. Brian Bachman is listed as Assistant (Director Player Personnel & Recruiting), with Rex Hogan as Director (Scouting), Jessica Jackson as Director (On-Campus Recruiting), Sam Serbay as Recruiting Director (Offense), Darren Uscher as Player Personnel & Recruiting Director, and Clyde Wrenn as Director (High School Relations). The group also includes Zach Bendorf, Mazari Bennett, Alley Brokaw, Zach Gordon, Kriston Guerra, Sterling Harris, Dru Lindler, Chelsea Lindsey, Rebecca Morga, Zach Propp, Jeremiah Smith and Katherine Summers in a mix of player personnel, recruiting operations and on-campus recruiting roles.
The athletic training department has its own major shift in the 2026 guide. Clint Haggard, after 17 seasons as the Gamecocks’ head football athletic trainer, moved into the role of Executive Associate AD/Sports Performance and Wellness on May 1, 2026.
In that position, he oversees Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning, Mental Health, Nutrition and Performance Analytic departments. Joe Melia is the new head football athletic trainer, arriving from Tulane, where he held the same role for three seasons from 2023-26.
Before that, he spent five years at Arkansas, first as an assistant athletic trainer from 2018-21 and then as Associate Athletic Trainer from 2021-23. Josh Fike, Kelsey Hounshell and Jared Muth are listed as assistants.
Operations is handled by Kim Fields, Caroline Coleman and George Wynn. Fields is listed as Assistant (Head Coach), Assistant Director.
The rest of the program’s support network stretches across a wide range of jobs: Marius Aleksa in Process Development, Charles Jackson Jr. in Character & Life Skills, Zach Frehse in Graphic Design, Justin King in Brand Strategy & Creative, Joe Lisle as Senior Associate AD/Chief Technology Officer, Derrick Moore in Character & Development, Yimy Queipo Rodriguez in Performance Nutrition, Larry Waters in Equipment Operations, Jada Allred in Graphic Design, Rex Bennett in Equipment Operations, Talitha Bryant and Caroline Doss as Academic Advisors, Dylan Dorfmeister in Video Services, Madison Garner, Victoria Gayles and Jacob Graber as Performance Chefs, Shuler Hayes in Football Equipment Operations, Justin Light in Academics, Alex Marinelli in NIL Content & Revenue Generation, Paul McGee in Video Services, Rawn Miro as Video Coordinator, Mark Mixon in Post-Production Video, Lindsay Morton in Sports Nutrition Program Assistant, and Ethan Styll as Assistant AD (Creative Media).
In Other News...
Gamecocks Pipeline Made Another Loud Statement In The MLB Draft
The MLB Draft again put a spotlight on the South Carolina pipeline, with seven players tied to the program hearing their names called over the course of the event. The group included three players from last years team and four more from the recruiting class, a reminder that the Gamecocks continue to show up on draft boards even as the roster keeps turning over.
Among the most notable names were right-handers Amp Phillips and left-hander Will Whelan, two pitchers whose paths helped underscore the range of talent connected to the program. Miguel Hugas, Ethan Sutton, Connor Shouse and Alex Philpott rounded out the list, giving South Carolina another draft haul that speaks to both recent production and the kind of future talent the staff keeps bringing in. [Read more 🡒]
ESPN Just Handed Tennessee A 2026 SEC Verdict Fans Need To See
South Carolina enters the 2026 conversation with a very different feel from where it stood not long ago. Two years after coming up just short of the playoff picture, the Gamecocks slid to a 4-8 finish last season and now face another reset on offense, even as the defense still has a centerpiece in edge rusher Dylan Stewart.
That backdrop matters in a league projection built around ESPNs preseason rankings and a power-index model, because the Gamecocks are being measured against a crowded SEC field with plenty of coaching changes, roster turnover and uneven quarterback situations. For South Carolina, the question is not just whether the program can climb back into the middle of the pack, but whether this group can turn a difficult year into the kind of bounce-back that changes the way the rest of the conference views it. [Read more 🡒]
Gamecocks Just Missed On Another Blue-Chip Linebacker Battle
South Carolina was in the mix for another blue-chip linebacker, but the latest recruiting swing went the other way. Mikahi Allen, a four-star prospect from Ramsey, N.J., is headed to the 2027 class at Texas A&M, where he fits into a haul that already has the Aggies sitting atop the national recruiting board with multiple blue-chip and five-star names.
For the Gamecocks, the miss is part of the early 2027 linebacker picture taking shape on the trail. Their lone commitment at the position is Jackson Ross, and Allens profile only underscores how competitive the chase is becoming for top-end defenders, especially when a program like Texas A&M keeps stacking elite talent around its class. [Read more 🡒]