South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer made a major midseason shakeup on Sunday, announcing the dismissal of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley and shifting Shawn Elliott, the team’s tight ends coach and run game coordinator, back to his old position leading the offensive line.
Elliott, who previously coached South Carolina’s offensive line from 2010 to 2016, brings deep experience and familiarity to a unit that has struggled mightily this season. To fill the gap at tight ends coach, Beamer said Ben Burress, the team’s pass game specialist, will take on a larger role for the rest of the year — with support from other assistants.
“That’ll be a combination of Shawn still being involved in some ways, because the tight ends and offensive line work together so well from a run game standpoint and even in protection,” Beamer said during his weekly teleconference. “So there’ll be times where they can meet together, and then Ben Burress will take a more active role with them. Ben has experience. He’s been with the Carolina Panthers, has been with the New York Giants. He’s been a great addition to our staff.”
Who is Ben Burress?
Burress, a Sumter, South Carolina native and 2012 University of South Carolina graduate, returned to Columbia this January as part of the transition from Dowell Loggains’ offensive staff to Mike Shula’s. Before that, he spent a decade in the NFL, working for both the Carolina Panthers and New York Giants, among other teams.
From 2019 to 2024, Burress was with the Giants, serving most recently as a defensive assistant after three years as a football data and innovation research analyst. He first joined the organization in 2019 as an assistant to the coaching staff on the offensive side.
In 2018, he was assistant to the head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, following four years with the Panthers — including three seasons as an offensive and football operations assistant under Mike Shula. During that time, he helped the coaching staff with opponent film breakdown, practice scripts, scouting reports, and even assisted on-field with the scout team defense. His work also extended to helping Carolina’s college scouts coordinate workouts and meetings with draft prospects.
Before his NFL tenure, Burress spent three years at Furman University, serving as assistant director of football operations and video coordinator after starting as an intern.
Burress’ new Gamecock role
Now back home, Burress has already made his presence felt in Columbia, having worked closely with the receivers under wideouts coach Mike Furrey earlier this year. His move to tight ends coach is a natural transition within the Gamecocks’ reshuffled offensive staff.
“Ben’s going to be more involved with the tight ends, along with Todd Haynie, a young student assistant who’s worked with those guys,” Beamer explained. “But Shawn will still be involved. Ben will be primarily the tight ends coach, so to speak, and we’re fortunate that we’ve got some veteran guys in there, like Brady Hunt and Jordan Dingle, that know what needs to be done.”
With Elliott overseeing the offensive line once again — and Burress stepping up in the tight ends room — Beamer is clearly hoping to inject new leadership and stability into an offense that’s struggled with consistency, protection, and penalties this season. The shuffle marks a critical turning point for the Gamecocks as they enter the second half of the year.
