New era of college football not changing the way Shawn Elliott coaches
From 2010-16, South Carolina run game coordinator/tight ends coach Shawn Elliott was known as a passionate and fiery coach for the Gamecocks who was hard on his players. And for good reason.
During his first four season as an assistant coach at USC, the Gamecocks experienced their best four year stretch in program history going 42-11. That success, both personally and as a program, played a big role in the Camden, S.C. landing a head coaching opportunity at Georgia State in 2016.
Now in his second stint with South Carolina, college sports has changed a lot since he last roamed the sidelines in Columbia. With the transfer portal and NIL, some coaches have found themselves having to cater to players. But don’t hold your breath if you think Elliott is gonna do that anytime soon.
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“I’m a pedal to the floor kind of guy,” said Elliott. “I’ve always used the term, especially when this transfer portal kind of got going. Never let a player hold you hostage. I wasn’t gonna change my coaching style because I may hurt their feelings and he says, ‘Oh, coach chews my ass everyday so I’m gonna leave.’ If that’s the case, then he didn’t need to be there in the first place.”
When it was announced in February that Elliott would be returning to serve as an assistant coach for the Gamecocks, I heard back from nearly a dozen of his former players. Energy, intensity, passion, were just some of the words South Carolina greats such as Connor Shaw, Ace Sanders, and Patrick DiMarco used to describe the soon-to-be 51-year-old.
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“He loves the game of football and always challenges you to become better,” former South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore told GamecockCentral. “The game against Navy in 2011 when I ran for almost 250 yards he said that I should have had 350 and he was right. I missed a few reads and got tripped up multiple times. He called me out. He will push our guys over their limits with love and bring out the best in players.”
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That’s why Elliott won’t change, and nor should he. He’s seen what success looks like with this program, while also having the opportunity to coach some of the greatest to ever wear the garnet and black during that time period.
“I’m not gonna change who I am. I’m not gonna hold my tongue back. I don’t care who the player is or how good they think they are or how good they actually are. If they’re doing something wrong (and) they need to be reprimanded for (it) — sometimes that’s a little bit tough. Sometimes it’s a little embarrassing and that’s for the coaches as well.”
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Since being back, Elliott shared that he’s been focused on making South Carolina’s tight end room more psychical. Through ten practices he’s been pleased with their progress but he continues to stay on them the only way he knows how to.
“If I were to change I would need to get out of this business. I would need to go and, I don’t know, become a librarian or something because that’s just not who I am.”
