The South Carolina Gamecocks have announced that Mike Shula will be replacing Dowell Loggains as the team’s next offensive coordinator. Yet while the team has come together this season, heading into 2024, it was unclear what South Carolina’s offense would look like. Let’s turn back the clock to the preseason and survey the scene.
South Carolina entered 2024 with major questions
Star wide receiver Xavier Legette and starting quarterback Spencer Rattler were drafted into the NFL. This left a lot on the shoulders of redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers heading into the year. On top of that, it wasn’t even clear if he would be the starter. Yet that wasn’t the only question mark going into the year for South Carolina.
The Gamecocks picked up Raheim “Rocket” Sanders from the transfer portal. Sanders was a banged-up senior running back coming off a torn labrum in his shoulder. It was going to be a struggle to keep Sanders on the field, let alone have him rebuild his body and take on a huge workload. South Carolina barely scraped the 1000-yard rushing mark in 2023. In 2024, the Gamecocks would go on to surpass 2200 yards.
South Carolina didn’t have a WR1 on the roster heading into the year. The Gamecocks didn’t make much noise in the portal either; their leading pass catcher in the 2024 season was tight end Joshua Simon. Their top wide receiver was Mazeo Bennett Jr., who had four decent games but was never a true go-to threat.
The offensive line was bad in 2023. The unit had a slew of injuries and let up 41 sacks. They needed to improve in the upcoming season or the 2024 season would go to waste.
Putting it together
How exactly did South Carolina put this all together, culminating in a top-15 finish in the nation, when experts predicted they would be bottom feeders in the SEC? This is where offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains comes in.
The Gamecocks were coming off a 5-8 season a year ago. Over the summer, Loggains’ job was to implement a new play-calling style to incorporate a heavier run game and get the most out of the team’s seemingly sub-par pieces. Remember, a freshman who hadn’t played a meaningful snap of collegiate football was at the helm of the on-field operation.
Loggains excelled at catering to his quarterback’s strengths – a fantastic arm and an extraordinary ability to escape the pocket. While he certainly relied on the run game, he also unlocked Sellers’s arm, as the freshman finished with 2,274 passing yards.
After the first few weeks, the offense was able to keep their turnovers to a minimum. They battled through a slow start and finished strong, winning their last six games, four of which were against AP Poll top-25 ranked opponents.
Loggains moves on
Loggains’ success this season with the Gamecocks, combined with his experience from his other 10 jobs over 14 years in football at the pro and collegiate level, gave him the opportunity to take on his first head coaching job.
When Appalachian State University asked him to take over their program as head coach, he understandably jumped at the chance. While the Gamecocks will certainly miss him, Loggains has now taken the leap to the head coaching ranks and he is likely to stay there for many years.
Mike Shula to take over for South Carolina
The Gamecocks were presumably aware that they might lose Loggains because their search for a new OC didn’t take long. South Carolina quickly announced that Mike Shula, the son of Don Shula (the all-time winningest head coach in NFL history), would take over the OC duties.
A big reason why Shula was a quick hire is because of his long, impressive resume. After Shula ended his short NFL playing career in 1987, he has coached every year since. In that 36-year span, he has made a mark in the the pros and college. His key experience includes:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator (1996–1999)
- Alabama head coach (2003–2006)
- Carolina Panthers offensive coordinator (2013–2017)
- New York Giants offensive coordinator & quarterbacks coach (2018–2019)
His official title with the Gamecocks will be offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. Shula first joined South Carolina’s coaching staff as an offensive analyst in March of this year as spring camp opened. His new contract as OC has been inked as a three-year deal, worth $1.1 million per season.
It will certainly be an interesting shift in play-callers. However, there is still an important decision to be made regarding this season. The Gamecocks will be facing the University of Illinois Fighting Illini in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl in Orlando, FL on December 31. It is still unclear whether that game will be Loggains’s last as South Carolina’s OC, or if the team will turn the reins over to Shula early and have him run the offense next week.
NIL news
While Gamecock fans will see a new face at offensive play caller, some faces will certainly stay the same. The two best freshman on the roster last year, QB LaNorris Sellers (SEC Freshman of the year), and defensive end Dylan Stewart have both signed NIL deals with the Garnet Trust, cementing their plans to stay in Columbia for next year.
