The South Carolina Gamecocks fired head coach Will Muschamp Sunday evening. Offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who was hired to revamp the offense in 2020, will now take the reins of the team as the interim head coach for the remainder of the season.

The Gamecocks will pay Muschamp a $13.2 million buyout.

While other coaching candidates are in the middle of their seasons, South Carolina’s coaching search will soon heat up. Let’s take a look at the top candidates.

TOP SOUTH CAROLINA CANDIDATES

Hugh Freeze, Liberty: The former Ole Miss coach has rebuilt Liberty’s program, and the Flames are ranked in the top 25 and sit 8-0. Freeze knows the SEC, and he would be an ideal fit at South Carolina; however, will the Gamecocks leadership go this direction? There won’t be a bigger and better candidate than Freeze for the Gamecocks.

Jamey Chadwell, Coastal Carolina: Chadwell has led the Chanticleers to a 7-0 record this year after going 5-7 in his first season. He has a big coaching future and could win at a program like South Carolina. It helps that he has Palmetto State ties.

Billy Napier, Louisiana: Napier is of the Nick Saban coaching tree, much like Muschamp; however, Napier is offensive-minded will eventually find himself in the SEC one day. Could that day come soon at South Carolina? Napier currently has Louisiana 7-1 this season, and most figure he has a big coaching future.

OTHER SOUTH CAROLINA CANDIDATES

Steve Sarkisian, Alabama OC: Would Sark take the South Carolina job? He has revamped his coaching career and brand at Alabama under Nick Saban, much like Lane Kiffin did. Sarkisian will eventually become another head coach, but is South Carolina the program to make that happen? This feels tougher than other candidates.

Scott Satterfield, Louisville: The former Appalachian State head coach has the Cardinals program headed in the right direction, although the record might not reflect it at 2-6. Satterfield feels like a fall-back candidate at this point for the Gamecocks.

Brian Johnson, Florida OC: The Florida coordinator will eventually become a head coach, but is that time now? While he’s a really good quarterback developer, Dan Mullen calls the plays at Florida. Johnson is one of the more unproven candidates on the board at this point.

Shane Beamer, Oklahoma assistant head coach/tight ends coach: There’s been a lot of buzz within South Carolina about Shane Beamer, and he would take the job in an instant; however, would this be a too safe hire? He’s coached at South Carolina before and is well-liked. We would be surprised if this happened, but then again, it’s 2020 — so, nothing should surprise us.