Latest on South Carolina running backs coach search

According to a report from 247Sports Matt Zenitz, South Carolina is expected to hire former Texas A&M and Ole Miss running backs coach Marquel Blackwell.

GamecockCentral has confirmed that Blackwell is the leading candidate for the job and has been in negotiations with South Carolina. GamecockCentral has not yet confirmed if Blackwell has accepted the job and has been told another SEC school is also involved with Blackwell.

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Blackwell spent this past season at Texas A&M after spending 2022 at Ole Miss.

A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Blackwell graduated from South Florida where he was starting quarterback for four years, throwing for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns while rushing for 1,235 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career.

COACHING HISTORY

• 2006: Freedom (Fla.) HS (Offensive Coordinator)
• 2007-08: Freedom (Fla.) HS (Head Coach)
• 2009-11: USF (QBs)
• 2012: Western Kentucky (RBs)
• 2013: USF (Director of of Player Development)
• 2014: Lakewood (Fla.) HS (Asst. Head Coach/OC)
• 2015: Florida (Quality Control)
• 2016-17: Toledo (RBs)
• 2018: West Virginia (RBs)
• 2019: Houston (co-Offensive Coordinator/QBs)
• 2020-21: Houston (co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs)
• 2022: Ole Miss (RBs)
• 2023-: Texas A&M (RBs)

Bio from Texas A&M

Marquel Blackwell joined the Texas A&M football staff in February 2023 as the running backs coach. Prior to arriving in Aggieland, Blackwell spent the 2022 season at Ole Miss after three seasons at Houston.

At Ole Miss, Blackwell helped lead one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, as the Rebels ranked third in the country and led the SEC with 256.5 yards per game. Freshman Quinshon Judkins led the SEC and ranked among the top 10 nationally with 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns in his debut season. 

Blackwell began his time at Houston as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019 before taking over the running backs for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

In his second season as running backs coach, Blackwell saw the total rushing production improve by 847 yards. Cougar running backs found the end zone 27 times in 2021 compared to 12 in 2020.

Blackwell helped freshman phenom Alton McCaskill to a record-setting season in 2021 that concluded with him being named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. McCaskill’s 961 rushing yards were the most by a UH running back since 2015 while his 16 rushing touchdowns led all true freshmen across the country.

Blackwell spent the 2018 season at West Virginia and helped lead a Mountaineer offense that eclipsed the 500-yard and 40-point marks eight times during the season, including 704 yards and 56 points vs. Oklahoma.

West Virginia had three different running backs register 100-yard rushing games during the 2018 season in Leddie Brown, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway. Brown became the first WVU true freshman to record multiple 100-yard rushing games since 2007.

Blackwell arrived at West Virginia after serving as the running backs coach at Toledo in 2016-17. He was part of a staff that led the Rockets to a 20-7 mark through two seasons, including an 11-3 record in 2017, the 2017 Mid-American Conference championship and two bowl appearances.

In 2017, Terry Swanson led the Mid-American Conference with 1,363 rushing yards and was third in the league with 14 touchdowns. That same season saw Shakif Symour run for 704 yards and 12 touchdowns, No. 3 in the MAC and No. 4 among all freshmen in FBS. Against Bowling Green, Seymour tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns.

In 2016, Kareem Hunt led the MAC and was No. 15 nationally with 1,475 yards while rushing for at least 100 yards eight times. A third-round NFL Draft selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt finished with a Toledo-record 4,945 yards, ranking No. 3 in MAC history.

Under Blackwell’s guidance, Toledo ranked fourth in the MAC in rushing offense (195.0 ypg) in 2016. He helped four running backs to gain 200-plus rushing yards during the season. Swanson was second on the team with 600 rushing yards.

Prior to his time at Toledo, Blackwell coached 20 high school players who earned Division I scholarships, as well as three college players who became first-round NFL draft picks.

Blackwell’s first coaching positions came at Freedom High in New Tampa, Florida, first as the offensive coordinator in 2006, then as the head coach from 2007-08. He returned to USF, his alma mater, from 2009-11 as a quality control coach.

Following a year as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2012, Blackwell returned to USF, as the director of player development in 2013. He returned to the high school ranks in 2014 as the offensive coordinator at Lakewood High before spending the 2015 season at Florida as a quality control specialist, working with the Gator quarterbacks.

Blackwell was USF’s starting quarterback for four years and led the Bulls to a 30-12 mark. He threw for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns and had 1,235 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. He set most of the Bulls’ career passing records and is among the tops in rushing yards and touchdowns. The three-year captain led the Bulls to a 9-2 record as a senior before playing in the NFL with the New York Jets.

Blackwell and his wife, Sharvettye, have three daughters, LeQuay, Shaye, and Shyeloh.

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