Much to a restless fanbase’s chagrin, it doesn’t appear Steve Spurrier will replace any of his current staff of assistants at South Carolina heading into the new year, an unsatisfying end to a forgettable season.

All coaches in question who have shouldered the brunt of criticism, notably Deke Adams, Kirk Botkin and Lorenzo Ward, have played an integral part of the winningest era in school history and need to be retained, at least for a month, to ensure the 2015 recruiting class remains intact.

Following the Gamecocks’ Independence Bowl victory over Miami last weekend, Spurrier revealed no changes would be made prior to National Signing Day, but stopped short of saying all coaches were safe.

“We’ll finish up recruiting with all our guys and if something happens down the road to strengthen our staff somewhere, then obviously I’ll look at that,” Spurrier said. “Right now, we’ll enjoy this win. We’ll call our players and hopefully keep all of them coming and maybe pick up one or two after this win.”

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After missing out on the Will Muschamp sweepstakes, South Carolina is one of only two teams in the SEC East to finish the season with the same staff it started with in August (Tennessee the other), quite surprising considering the Gamecocks fell short of expectations.

It’s much easier for Spurrier to replace a position coach than a coordinator if he decides to go in that direction. Adams benefited from two All-Americans along his defensive line during his first season last fall, but the noticeable drop-off in production — only 14 total sacks in 13 games — is attributed to a lack of player development in the trenches.

Much of that lack of pass rush falls on Ward, but the hammer will inevitably come down on Adams — if it does at all.

An important aspect to keep in mind is the quality of available assistants currently on the market. The Gamecocks could welcome back former defensive coordinator and associate head coach Ellis Johnson to resume linebacker duties after his last stop at Auburn resulted in a firing following this year’s Iron Bowl debacle.

Johnson, a proven strong recruiter, would be an instant upgrade from Botkin and provides the 63-year-old assistant with an opportunity to coach budding playmakers Skai Moore and Jonathan Walton in the middle next season.