Shane Beamer explains decision to fire offensive line coach midseason
By David Wasson
Published:
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer spoke Sunday about firing offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley in the wake of the Gamecocks’ 20-10 home loss Saturday to No. 11 LSU.
“Looking at the overall body of work, I felt the best decision for our team was to make a change with the offensive line,” Beamer said to reporters. “When you’re in this position, you have to make hard decisions that negatively affect people you care about. It wasn’t just last night. It had been building for a bit.”
Teasley was in his third season as South Carolina’s offensive line coach. The program said that run game coordinator/tight ends coach Shawn Elliott will assume the offensive line coaching responsibilities in a statement confirming Teasley’s departure. Elliott was the Gamecocks’ offensive line coach under former head coaches Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp.
Teasley’s dismissal marks just Beamer’s second firing of an assistant coach since taking over South Carolina in 2021. Running backs coach Montario Hardesty was released following the 2023 season.
South Carolina’s offensive line struggles were noticeable against LSU, as the unit accounted for 5 of the Gamecock’s 13 accepted penalties in the game.
South Carolina will host Oklahoma on Saturday.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
