Bobby Bentley makes smooth transition to coaching tight ends
SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL
When South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp first mentioned the idea to Bobby Bentley of moving from the running backs to the tight ends, the veteran coach didn't hesitate.
"Yes, sir," Bentley said of his initial reaction. "When you're a position coach, you're willing to do whatever you've got to do to prop the head coach up and that's your job. And if he asks you to coach the tight ends, [you say] 'yes, sir' and you do whatever you can to help the program from a recruiting [and] coaching standpoint."
The transition has been a smooth one for the Palmetto State native with an extensive coaching background across multiple levels and positions.
Bentley is, of course, best known for his run as the head coach at Byrnes High School when he compiled a 119-54 record in two stints and won four-consecutive state championships from 2002-05, posting a 57-2 record during the title run.
Bentley also spent two seasons as the head coach at Presbyterian College and two as an offensive analyst at Auburn under Gus Malzahn.
He returned to the state of South Carolina in 2016 and coached running backs for all three seasons that Muschamp has been in Columbia, except for a brief stretch filling in as quarterbacks coach for the Outback Bowl when Kurt Roper was fired after the 2017 season.
At the end of the 2018 season, Bentley moved from the backs to the tight ends as Pat Washington exited the staff and former Miami offensive coordinator Thomas Brown was added to coach running backs.
"I feel like I could coach any position on the field," Bentley explained. "I'm glad that Coach Muschamp has the confidence in me to coach another position. I've coached quarterbacks for him, I've coached running backs, and now tight ends. I feel like as a coach, you should be able to teach. You're a teacher and you're teaching Xs and Os, but you're coaching life, and regardless of what position I'm working with, that's what I'm going to do."
That transition has been made easier by a veteran group of tight ends that Bentley genuinely enjoys working with.
It's led by senior Kiel Pollard and fifth-year junior Kyle Markway, the two likely starters, and a group of talented, but inexperienced backups in Will Register, Evan Hinson, KeShawn Toney and Trae Kenion.
"I'm proud of the way the guys have responded to the overall experience," Bentley said. "It's a lot of fun to work with this group of guys. They're very attentive, very professional, and come to meetings, and do what they're supposed to do, and off the field as well."
"It's been a great, great experience for me," he added. "It really has. It's kind of rejuvenated me, I guess you could say."
