When Alabama travels to Columbia this weekend, it’ll face a familiar name on the opposing sideline — former Crimson Tide quarterback and head coach Mike Shula, who now serves as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator.
Ahead of Saturday’s matchup, Alabama defensive coordinator Kane Wommack was asked about his connection to Shula during Monday’s press conference.
“I don’t know Coach Shula,” Wommack said. “I know he was here, I guess, when my dad (Dave Wommack) was the defensive coordinator at Arkansas. So there was some crossover there. But I don’t know him in particular. I think highly of their staff. I know Dowell Loggains, their former offensive coordinator, very well. I know they’ve kept the same system. You think about (head coach Shane Beamer) and his offensive background — they’re very good offensive minds.”
Shula, who took over as the Gamecocks’ offensive coordinator this season after Dowell Loggains left to become head coach at Appalachian State, previously served as Alabama’s head coach from 2003–2006 before being replaced by Nick Saban.
Despite Shula’s experience, South Carolina’s offense has struggled heavily this season. The Gamecocks currently rank last in the SEC in scoring, averaging just 20.1 points per game, a full 24 points behind league-leader Tennessee.
Still, Wommack offered respect for what Shula’s unit brings to the field.
“They’ve got a very dynamic passing game and good complements in the run game,” Wommack said. “They run the quarterback enough to make things challenging to defend with the one-plus quarterback system. Anytime you have an athletic quarterback like that who has the arm talent to make all the throws, you have to defend the entire field. So it’ll be a good challenge for us.”
That quarterback is LaNorris Sellers, a sophomore who entered the season as a potential Heisman contender but has battled injuries throughout 2025. Despite the setbacks, Sellers remains the centerpiece of South Carolina’s offense.
The Gamecocks’ most recent performance — a 26-7 home loss to Oklahoma — only intensified fan frustration. During the game, chants of “Fire Shula” echoed through Williams-Brice Stadium as the offense stalled. Afterward, Beamer faced questions about whether he was considering staff changes, appearing visibly irritated.
“I made a change. I made a change last week,” Beamer said, referencing the firing of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley before clarifying his position on play-calling adjustments. “Every week we’re continuing to look at how to be better, and every week I do that. I’ll continue to do that and evaluate everything.”
Alabama and South Carolina will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET (2:30 p.m. CT) on Saturday, with the game broadcast nationally on ABC.
