SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL

There’s a procedure in place for coaches once their season is over where they go and sit down with athletic director Ray Tanner and evaluate the good and the bad from the previous year, but Will Muschamp doesn’t want to wait.

The Gamecocks’ head coach will still have his meeting but has spent the weeks after the season in constant talks with his boss about the state of the program in the final push before signing day.

“Coach Muschamp is a great communicator,” Tanner said. “We talk all the time. We’re very honest and sincere with each other. We were disappointed we didn’t win more than four games. We feel like we’re a program that’s better than that. He keeps talking about it. He has the energy and drive and think he’s recruiting in a better place.”

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Tanner made the decision to keep Muschamp for the 2020 season after a 4-8 year where the Gamecocks lost their final three games to App State, Texas A&M and Clemson.

The decision was made right before the Texas A&M game and Tanner said the majority of feedback he heard about retaining the Gamecocks’ head coach.

“It was very positive,” Tanner said. “I think it’s only fair you say there’s a few negative people out there, but I think it’s been recognized in the time he’s been here what he puts into this program, the great staff he has and the organization, the culture of the program and the players and how they react. It’s ben very positive.”

But Tanner made sure to say he and Muschamp aren’t happy with this last season but said fans were reaching out before the decision to keep him was final saying they wanted him to stick around.

“When you win four games, the fan base is concerned,” Tanner said. “I had a lot of people reach out to me before there was really any conversations saying, ‘I know what you’re thinking, but don’t make any moves. He’s a great man and he’s going to be very successful here.’ You get some negative, but I say the overwhelming is positive.”

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While they haven’t had it yet, Tanner said he and Muschamp will meet sometime soon for their annual end of the year review.

Muschamp and his staff has been busy since the season ended, making a few coaching changes with Mike Bobo taking over as offensive coordinator and Paul Jackson as head strength and conditioning coach.

Coaches also have been on the road recruiting and then hosted a few visitors this weekend, so there hasn’t been much time for the two to meet.

The review process will start with on-field performance but also delve into other aspects of his program and the athletic department.

“We have a formal protocol we go through that’s football-related,” Tanner said. “Also, it’s not football. It’s about marketing, it’s about compliance and it’s about the business office. It’s a very thorough end-of-year review. I don’t think coaches are all that excited about it sometimes. They get it done, and of course we go back to your performance on and off the field.”