South Carolina QB Signees’ Surprising Take on Kendal Briles’ Gamecocks OC Hire—What Does It Mean for the Season?
South Carolina’s football program is shaking things up under head coach Shane Beamer, and the latest move is setting the tone for a fresh offensive identity. Just this past Monday, word broke that the Gamecocks have tapped Kendal Briles, currently the offensive coordinator at TCU, to take over the same role in Columbia. Briles isn’t exactly a newcomer to the college coaching grind — since 2008, he’s carved out a solid résumé with stops at Baylor, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Florida State, and Arkansas before landing at TCU. This hire signals a strategic reboot after parting ways with Mike Shula in early November, as South Carolina continues to revamp its offensive staff amid ongoing vacancies. Meanwhile, promising recruits like four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth, who shares a history with Briles, are already gearing up to connect with the new system. It’s a pivotal moment for the Gamecocks’ 2026 class and a bold step in their quest to ignite their offense. LEARN MORE
South Carolina is re-tooling its staff around head coach Shane Beamer. On Monday, it was reported that the Gamecocks were hiring TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles for the same role.
Briles, 43, has been in the coaching industry since 2008 when he was hired on at Baylor following a college career at Texas and Houston. He would stay in Waco until 2016 and has had stints with Florida Atlantic, Houston, Florida State and Arkansas before heading to TCU in 2023. He was the offensive coordinator at each of those programs.
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He will replace former Gamecocks offensive coordinator Mike Shula, who was let go on Nov. 2 before the end of the regular season. South Carolina has made a number of changes along its offensive staff this season, and are still looking to permanently replace offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley, as well as running backs coach Marquel Blackwell.
With National Signing Day now in the rearview mirror, much of South Carolina’s incoming 2026 recruiting class is having to build new relationships with the incoming additions to the staff. That includes Jackson (Ala.) four-star quarterback signee Landon Duckworth.
Lucky for the Gamecocks and the 6-foot-3 gunslinger, Briles isn’t a stranger to Duckworth. On Tuesday afternoon, he approved of the hire on social media:
“Coach (Briles) was the first coach to offer me,” Duckworth wrote on X, attaching photos of himself alongside Briles while he was at Arkansas and TCU. “Let’s work.”
Scrolling through Duckworth’s X account, you indeed find his first offer announcement on Nov. 15, 2022. The soon-to-be blue-chipper was coming to the end of his freshman season. Arkansas offered, and one of the first accounts tagged in the post was Briles.
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Duckworth finally signs with South Carolina
All roads led to Columbia in the end for Duckworth. He committed to South Carolina on two separate occasions and finally signed with the Gamecocks during the National Signing Period on Dec. 4.
He first committed to Beamer and Co. on Aug. 5, 2023. That pledge lasted nearly a year, but opted to come back on the board on June 25, 2024. He hit a reset button of sorts, but the usual SEC suspects continued to sit near the top of his process.
Ole Miss and Georgia were thoroughly in the mix for his commitment, but he then re-trimmed his recruitment down to Auburn and South Carolina this June. On July 18, he chose the Gamecocks a second time.
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“I always loved South Carolina,” Duckworth told Rivals’ Chad Simmons upon committing again this summer. “Coach Beamer was always the same. We have been close for a long time. That is what kept South Carolina high on my list. They had a change of offensive coordinator, so I had to get to know coach Shula better, but South Carolina was always up there.”
LSU then emerged. The Tigers made a big push for Duckworth in the fall, but he announced his recruitment was “shut down” in November. It looked like he’d ink with South Carolina on Dec. 3, but his signature didn’t immediately come. Once again, LSU was making a push.
There was a point on National Signing Day where it appeared that Lane Kiffin and the new staff in Baton Rouge were going to finally flip Duckworth, but he stuck to his pledge once more and was finally announced by South Carolina on Dec. 4.
Duckworth is the No. 144 overall prospect and No. 10 QB in the 2026 cycle, according to the Rivals Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all major recruiting media companies. He’s one of the top members of the Gamecocks’ class that ranks 15th in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings.
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