COLUMBIA, S.C. — The move was inevitable — and maybe even overdue. After weeks of offensive line struggles that left South Carolina quarterbacks under constant attack, head coach Shane Beamer made a major shakeup, parting ways with offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley and bringing back Shawn Elliott to stabilize the unit.
The breaking point came after last week’s brutal loss at LSU, where quarterback LaNorris Sellers was pressured on 60% of his dropbacks, took five more sacks, and watched the offense commit seven pre-snap penalties, including a botched snap on the very first play.
“The line has looked abysmal all year,” one observer noted — and Beamer wasn’t waiting any longer.
Teasley is out. Elliott is in. But the big question remains: Can a midseason coaching change actually fix this?
“We can’t sit here in Week 7 and make wholesale changes to what we’re doing,” Beamer admitted. “We can certainly coach things a little bit differently and handle things a little bit differently during the week. Hopefully, we can minimize some of the self-inflicted things we’ve had and get better.”
By all accounts, Teasley was well-liked. But Elliott brings a completely different energy. Known for his fiery demeanor, Elliott’s old-school approach could be exactly what South Carolina needs.
He’s the type who ends pregame warmups in the middle of a mosh pit, surrounded by his linemen, demanding physicality and focus. Small mistakes — like false starts or blown assignments — won’t be tolerated under his watch.
While Elliott and the offensive linemen weren’t available for interviews this week, Sellers offered a glimpse of the difference already noticeable in practice.
“Coach Elliott is just a little bit more hands-on. He’s right in the middle of it,” Sellers said. “Even during the play, he’s just talking to them, communicating with them throughout the play.”
Still, the problems run deep. The Gamecocks rank near the bottom of nearly every SEC offensive category — unable to protect the passer or create space in the run game.
It’s a glaring issue reflected in the numbers: through six games, South Carolina has just 17 total touchdowns — and only 11 have come from the offense. The rest have been scored by the defense and special teams.
If the issues are more about talent than coaching, Elliott may face an uphill climb. And with a matchup looming against an Oklahoma defense ranked among the nation’s best, it might get worse before it gets better.
The situation is complicated by injuries. Starters Cason Henry and Nolan Hay missed the LSU game, Shed Sarratt was injured mid-game, and Markee Anderson remains sidelined. All four linemen are questionable this week.
Elliott is expected to tweak the scheme and inject some of his own ideas into the offense, though Beamer isn’t revealing specifics.
“If I were Oklahoma, I would go back and study every game that Shawn had as the head coach at Georgia State, every game that he coached here as the offensive line coach, and every game that he coached at App State — and that’s a good start for them,” Beamer joked. “In all seriousness, there’s going to be things in the run game that he really likes, that maybe we haven’t been doing as much that he will add.”
Realistically, no one expects a miracle turnaround overnight. But any progress would be a win at this point.
“This is not, ‘Make a change and Lonnie is the fall guy,’” Beamer emphasized. “Everybody on our offensive staff needs to be better. It’s not good enough right now. Everybody needs to take some accountability and do their job better — but particularly with the offensive line.”
Summary:
South Carolina’s offensive struggles finally forced Shane Beamer’s hand. By firing Lonnie Teasley and reuniting with fiery veteran Shawn Elliott, Beamer hopes to spark a midseason revival in the trenches. Whether that’s possible — especially against a dominant Oklahoma defense — remains to be seen.
