Well, it is official. Ellis Johnson has left the University of South Carolina as the head defensive coach to take the job head coaching job at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Johnson will not be on the sidelines when the ninth-ranked Gamecocks (10-2) take on Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on January 2.
Looking at this Ellis situation…who can blame him? He wanted to the opportunity to be a head coach once again so this is a good fit for him. Best of luck to him. Hate to see it as he was well-respected, a great recruiter and the architect of a stingy Gamecock defense.
So who is next?
Here are some names we are hearing and would like to see in the mix of consideration in no particular order….
1. Former University of Miami head coach Randy Shannon. Long shot in our view but would be interesting nonetheless as he is good coach with great recruiting abilities.
2. Spurrier could elect to promote Lorenzo Ward to a more traditional defensive coordinator role. Keep it in the family right?
3. One person familiar with Spurrier and a friend is former Arizona head coach Mike Stoops. Lots of speculation early with him.
4. Another former coach that you are hearing would have interest is Ron Zook. If you recall, he worked with Spurrier at Florida. I’d say this is more int eh unlikely stack of resumes.
5. Chuck Heater could be a good hire as he is the Temple defensive Coordinator and prior to that he was with Florida. He is the surprise guy in our book.
One thing is for sure, Spurrier will get his guy. It is a crucial hire going forward but we trust the “visor” to continue the momentum of the football program by putting in place his guy that will continue to evolve the defense into one of the best.
