Beamer’s staff complete: Final Gamecock assistant coaching contracts approved
Shane Beamer’s on-field coaching staff is now officially complete.
South Carolina’s board of trustees met Friday and approved the contracts of Beamer’s last two assistants: offensive line coach Greg Adkins and defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey.
Under the terms of the contracts approved by the board, both coaches have two-year deals, with Lindsey making $350,000 per year and Adkins $550,000.
The Lindsey and Adkins approvals wrap up Beamer’s six-week, five-day search to fill out his staff since being hired himself on Dec. 6. It was a process that included two staff members under former coach Will Muschamp being retained, only to then leave for Auburn.
Another of Beamer’s early hires, offensive line coach Will Friend, joined those staffers in heading to Auburn, opening the way for Adkins to get the USC job.
In a press conference Tuesday, Beamer expressed gratitude for the coaches and players who stuck with South Carolina during the transition period. He’s also said he wanted to assemble a staff of “hungry” coaches.
“These are guys that want to be at this place, that believe in this university like I do and understand what we can accomplish here in this football program,” Beamer said two weeks ago when introducing three hires, including his coordinators. “All of us are on the same page from that standpoint. They are hungry. They’re driven. They have a chip on their shoulder. One of the core values I talked to the team about is gratitude, and these three guys are certainly grateful to be here. I am excited they are on my side, on our side.”
Of the 10 assistants now on staff at South Carolina, five have coached in the SEC before, led by Adkins with more than a decade of experience at Georgia and Tennessee. Both offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield and defensive coordinator Clayton White are taking on their first Power 5 coordinator jobs.
The staff also trends young, with every coach under 55 years old and several in their 30s. Beamer himself is the third-youngest head coach in the SEC, older only that Missouri’s Eli Drinkwitz and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea.
The combined annual salaries of all 10 assistants reaches $5 million per year, a slight decline from the total under Will Muschamp in 2020, when the Gamecocks were set to spend $5.28 million on assistants before COVID-19 related cuts reduced that total to just shy of $5.1 million.
Friday’s board approval still marks a raise for Lindsey, who comes to USC after a year at Illinois coaching defensive line. He made $275,000 in that position, according USA Today’s assistant coaching salary database.
Prior to that, Lindsey worked with new DC Clayton White at Western Kentucky for three years. He was the defensive line coach in 2017 and coached defensive ends and was recruiting coordinator from 2018-19.
Lindsey’s previous coaching stops included a year at Georgia Southern, four years at Furman, where he also earned the role of associate head coach, Miami (Ohio), Gardner-Webb, Chattanooga and Tennessee Martin. He also did minority internships with four different NFL teams.
Adkins joins the Gamecocks with 29 years of coaching experience under his belt, including the last three at his alma mater, Marshall, where he worked with new USC strength and conditioning coach Luke Day.
Adkins also coached at Charlotte (2017) Oklahoma State (2015-17), Syracuse (2009-12), Tennessee (2003-08), Troy (2001-02) and Georgia (1996-2000). He was the Buffalo Bills’ tight ends coach from 2013-14.
USC FOOTBALL SALARY COMPARISONS
Head coach
2020: Will Muschamp — $4.6 million
2021: Shane Beamer — $2.75 million
Offensive coordinator/QBs coach
2020: Mike Bobo — $1.2 million
2021: Marcus Satterfield — $900,000
Running backs coach
2020: Des Kitchings — $300,000
2021: Des Kitchings — $420,000
Wide receivers coach
2020: Joe Cox — $180,000
2021: Justin Stepp — $460,000
Tight ends coach
2020: Bobby Bentley — $400,000
2021: Erik Kimrey — $200,000
Offensive line coach
2020: Eric Wolford — $700,000
2021: Greg Adkins — $550,000
Defensive coordinator
2020: Travaris Robinson — $1.2 million
2021: Clayton White — $900,000
Defensive line coach
2020: Tracy Rocker — $525,000
2021: Jimmy Lindsey — $350,000
Outside linebackers coach
2020: Mike Peterson — $300,000
2021: Mike Peterson — $420,000
Defensive assistant coach
2020: Rod Wilson (linebackers) — $275,000
2021: Torrian Gray (defensive backs) — $350,000
Special teams coordinator
2020: Kyle Krantz — $200,000
2021: Pete Lembo — $450,000
This story was originally published January 22, 2021 at 11:20 AM with the headline "Beamer’s staff complete: Final Gamecock assistant coaching contracts approved."
