It may have taken some time but Shane Beamer’s first South Carolina coaching staff is coming together.

Seven full-time coaching members have been hired in Columbia with four of those positions being filled with holdovers from Will Muschamp’s Gamecock coaching staff.

Here are the four coaches that have been retained on a full-time basis:

  • offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Mike Bobo
  • running backs coach Des Kitchings
  • defensive line coach Tracy Rocker
  • outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson

Beamer also made the decision to keep Connor Shaw on staff but Shaw is expected to be an off-the-field staffer in Columbia in 2021. Shaw started the 2020 season off-the-field but was promoted to a full-time assistant by interim coach Mike Bobo following Muschamp’s dismissal.

Here are the three new hires announced by South Carolina:

  • offensive line coach Will Friend
  • special teams coach Pete Lembo
  • tight ends coach Erik Kimrey

On Monday, Beamer was asked to comment on the decision to keep offensive coordinator and quarterback’s coach Mike Bobo during a Monday press conference.

“I think every situation is different. There is certainly merit to coming in, cleaning house at all that,” Beamer said. “But I also think of it as you got a heck of an offensive coordinator in the building already that has been here for less than a year that has proven he can coordinate successful offenses in the SEC. That can recruit at a high, high level and is loyal as all get out and is a great person.

“If you are talking coordinators, there aren’t many proven coordinators across the country, especially with SEC experience. There are different guys out there with flashy names, I get it. But a guy that believes in what I believe in, wants to be at Carolina, has done it for a long, long time.

Beamer even noted that a few SEC coaches reached out to congratulate him on the hire of Bobo this weekend.

“Like I said, if he hadn’t been on the Carolina staff, I would have tried to hire him,” Beamer added. “I had an SEC football coach, two of them actually, when it was announced Mike was hired, say, ‘That’s a big-time hire.’ And it’s not a guy that’s telling me what I want to hear, it’s two guys that know football. They said Mike Bobo is as good as they come.”