Shawn Elliott Q&A: Spurrier, Muschamp helped shape new Georgia State coach
The State interviewed new Georgia State coach Shawn Elliott to get his thoughts on his time coaching at South Carolina:
When you look back at your time at South Carolina, what is your best memory?
The people that you work with. People probably say that’s an easy answer, but really the entire great state of South Carolina, the Columbia community, the administration, the coaches that I worked with, the student-athletes. So many times in this coaching profession you don’t ever really call it home, but they made it like home to me, which is an unbelievable thing.
How big of an impact did coaching at USC and for Steve Spurrier have on the coach you are now?
Any time you work for a Hall of Fame coach, you’ve got to take bits and pieces from what he’s done that helped him promote and propelled him to where he is today and who he is. It’s certainly going to help next fall when I reflect on the decision-making on third downs or how he handles a discipline issue. Everything in general I’m going to reflect back to Steve Spurrier.
What was it like working with Will Muschamp for one year?
It was unbelievable. Coach Muschamp and I really had a great relationship. We’re still going to have a great relationship. We enjoyed working with one another. I think his effort, his energy, his discipline, the things that he’s instilling in the South Carolina football program are going to pay dividends for years to come. Had it not been for a situation like this, I’d have loved to have been at South Carolina forever, but this is a great opportunity.
Have you had any talks with former USC assistants such as G.A. Mangus or Kirk Botkin about joining your staff?
At this point, I’ve reached out to several (coaches) and there are about 200,000 that have reached out to me as well. The process will take its course and we’ll see who we hire, but we’re going to hire what’s best for Georgia State University, this football program and these student-athletes.
Is it nice to have so many connections from your time at South Carolina?
It is, and not only South Carolina but Appalachian State, not just the coaches that you come in contact with but the parents, everybody, the administration. It’s a great experience and a good resource to lean on.
This story was originally published December 11, 2016 at 12:29 AM with the headline "Shawn Elliott Q&A: Spurrier, Muschamp helped shape new Georgia State coach."