It’s no secret that South Carolina’s 4-8 season was a disappointment to players, coaches and fans alike. With no bowl game opportunity, a 38-3 loss to Clemson ended the Gamecocks’ season and immediately signaled the beginning of the offseason.
After weeks of speculation, statements and clarifying statements we know that Will Muschamp will be retained for at least one more year, but that changes are coming. What those exact changes will be remain to be seen.
In his opening statement immediately after the game, Muschamp briefly addressed the speculation around impending staff changes without giving much away.
“We’ve gotta make some changes moving forward,” Muschamp said. “I’m not addressing anything as far as that’s concerned, so don’t ask. We need to get better.”
These comments came directly after mentioning issues on offense the last few weeks. If there’s any one issue to point to, it’s the struggles on that side of the ball.
Over South Carolina’s last 12 quarters of football, the Gamecocks have put up just one offensive touchdown, scoring just 24 total points in the process. Once Bryan Edwards went down with injury, the offense lost all semblance of identity, leading to a less-than-stellar output.
Muschamp also mentioned that the offense isn’t just one quick fix.
“We’re struggling in a lot of areas,” Muschamp said. “Confidence is a major issue, we’re having a hard time in a lot of areas. To sit there and blame one person? I’m not going to do that. At the end of the day, we have to be more productive. That’s the bottom line. If you give one reason, it’s an excuse … I’m tired of talking about it, we need to get better.”
Those comments, coupled with the comments from university president Bob Caslen and the on-field performance that staff changes are coming on the offensive side of the ball. Those changes will likely start at the offensive coordinator position but could also impact the position coaches or even off-field staff.
That could include changes to the strength staff and a shuffling or even wholesale changes at several offensive positions.
We’ll know soon enough what the exact changes will be. Right now, it’s safe to say that Will Muschamp’s coaching staff will look far different than it did today.