Report: South Carolina has interviewed 2nd candidate for head coaching job
By SDS Staff
Published:
South Carolina has reportedly interviewed its second candidate for the head coaching job.
SportsTalk South Carolina reported via Twitter that Louisiana head coach Billy Napier is the second candidate to be interviewed.
“Per a source, Gamecocks have interviewed Louisiana coach Billy Napier,” the tweet reads. “The source said the interview was conducted via Zoom as Napier is dealing with Covid after testing positive.”
SportsTalk also acknowledged a report from The Athletic that Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell was the first candidate interviewed.
Napier has long been rumored to be a top candidate for the job for multiple reasons. The 41-year old has numerous ties to the Palmetto State as a former Furman quarterback a coach at Clemson and South Carolina State.
After playing for Furman from 1999-2002, Napier became a Clemson grad assistant in 2003, a position he also held for the 2004 season. He left Clemson for one season to be South Carolina State’s quarterbacks coach in 2005. Napier returned to Clemson in 2006 as tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator, positions he held until Tommy Bowden’s resignation in 2008. When Dabo Swinney took over as interim head coach, Napier was named quarterbacks coach and assisted Swinney with play-calling duties. Napier was then Swinney’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the 2009 and ’10 seasons.
Napier also has SEC experience as an assistant coach. He was fired as Clemson’s offensive coordinator after the 2010 season and was one of the first coaches to land at Alabama in an analyst role. After being an Alabama analyst in 2011, Napier followed Jim McElwain to Colorado State as assistant head coach and QB coach in 2012. He returned to Alabama in 2013, joining Saban’s staff as wide receivers coach, a position he held through 2016.
Napier was Arizona State’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2017 before taking the Louisiana head coaching job. At Louisiana, he is 25-11, leading the Ragin Cajuns to back-to-back bowl games. Louisiana is currently 7-1 on the season.
Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.
