Once again this offseason, Shane Beamer has a full coaching staff at South Carolina.

There’s been some wild turnover this offseason in Columbia following the dismissal of Will Muschamp and the hiring of Beamer but the Gamecocks are back up to 10 full-time assistants following the hiring of running backs coach Montario Hardesty, formerly of Charlotte.

Hardesty, a former Tennessee and NFL running back, was introduced by South Carolina’s head coach on Tuesday.

So what was it about Hardesty that made him an ideal fit for Beamer’s coaching staff?

“He’s just a great guy,” Beamer answered. “Obviously, I spent three years at Tennessee early in my career as a graduate assistant and have a lot of friends still up there, whether it be in the administration or the equipment room and you talk to anyone up there, just the way they speak of him, what kind of person he is. They were able to see him as a player and when he came back to Tennessee as an analyst, they got to see him in both those roles.”

According to Beamer, his new running back’s coach also possesses the positive energy he wants to see from all his Gamecock coaches in Columbia.

“One thing that kept coming up in all my conversations is just what a fantastic personality he is,” Beamer continued. “He is an electric, dynamic personality. Always a smile on his face, always high energy, always positive. That’s what I want in this building, that’s what I want this program to be about, positive, high energy guys. He’s always that way, got a pep in his step, a smile on his face.”

South Carolina’s 2021 coaching staff

  • Marcus Satterfield – Offensive coordinator
  • Clayton White – Defensive coordinator
  • Justin Stepp – Receivers
  • Montario Hardesty – Running backs
  • Mike Peterson – Outside linebackers/defensive ends
  • Erik Kimrey – Tight ends
  • Jimmy Lindsey – Defensive line
  • Greg Adkins – Offensive line
  • Pete Lembo – Special teams coordinator
  • Torrian Gray – Defensive backs