Shawn Elliott is doing his best to convince South Carolina to break with history in hiring its new coach.

The last two times the South Carolina coaching job came open, the Gamecocks hired former national championship-winning coaches Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier. The history goes back to 1966 when the Gamecocks hired Paul Dietzel, who had won a national title at LSU.

Prior to Holtz, young, unestablished coaches Sparky Woods and Brad Scott were fired after short stints.

Since taking over for Spurrier this week, Elliott has endeared himself to Gamecocks players, trying to pump some enthusiasm into a team that had lost two straight games prior to Saturday’s 19-10 victory over Vanderbilt. When introduced as interim coach last Tuesday, Elliott said he would be interested in taking over full time.

Before the opening kickoff against Vanderbilt, Elliott ran quickly between players, waving his arms rapidly, making contact with them and yelling in an attempt to get them fired up.

In his first game, Elliott made sure AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells” rocked the stadium PA system on third-down plays and chose all-black uniforms for his team.

“We knew when he was named the interim head coach, pretty much all the guys were pumped for that,” standout receiver Pharoh Cooper told reporters after the game. “We all know what kind of guy Coach Elliott is. He’s loud. He’s passionate about the game. He loves to have fun and loves the game of football.

“With a coach like that, that can come in there and get the boys excited pregame and jump around with us, dance to music with us, just really gets us motivated to play as well.”

When asked about a few celebration penalties assessed against the Gamecocks, Elliott said he was glad his players showed enthusiasm.

Some former Gamecock players greeted the Gamecocks when they stepped off the bus and made their regular “Gamecock Walk” through fans to the stadium entrance.

“(They) knew what we were up against,” Elliott told reporters. “I got the message out and said we need some support. These guys (our team) needed a pat on the back and to see those guys show up and embrace us when we got off that bus was unbelievable. I wish I could shake every one of their hands.”

With almost half the season remaining, most potential candidates to succeed Spurrier aren’t free to openly pursue the position. So Elliott should have an opportunity – if he can produce a big victory down the stretch over either Florida or Clemson, show prowess leading the Gamecocks’ recruiting efforts and gain outspoken support from Gamecocks players.

Interviewing fans at Saturday’s game, The (Columbia, S.C.) State newspaper found supporters impressed by Elliott’s energy and are willing to wait to see if he can turn around the Gamecocks’ fortunes in his remaining five games.

Just up the road at Clemson, Dabo Swinney turned a similar interim position into a full-time job with a strong finish bolstered by enthusiasm he generated from players, fans and boosters. Never a coordinator before taking over at Clemson, Swinney has been an overwhelming success.

The most-common names mentioned in speculation by media and South Carolina fans include Memphis coach Justin Fuente, Houston coach Tom Herman, Toledo coach Matt Campbell and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart. Fuente, Herman and Campbell are expected to attract interest from other schools.

Unless dream candidates such as Michigan State’s Mark Dantonio, a former Gamecock player, or the Philadelphia Eagles’ Chip Kelly is receptive to South Carolina overtures, Elliott has a chance, albeit an outside one.

As co-offensive coordinator under Spurrier without an effective quarterback, Elliott wasn’t subject to the widespread criticism leveled at co-defensive coordinators Jon Hoke and Lorenzo Ward.

Holtz and Spurrier elevated the Gamecocks program on the national level through their stature and their unprecedented successes. But he’s not the type of established or “can’t-miss” candidate fans always want.

Not yet, anyway.