Marcus Satterfield set to leave Gamecocks to join Matt Rhule in Nebraska, reports say

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer is about to have a major role to play on his team.

Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield is expected to join Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule’s staff at Lincoln, according to separate reports Monday from ESPN’s Pete Thamel and Chris Low.

“Nebraska is set to hire South Carolina OC Marcus Satterfield as the school’s new offensive coordinator,” Thamel wrote via Twitter Monday morning. “South Carolina tried hard to keep Satterfield, but his ties to Rhule and the opportunity to go to Nebraska won out.”

Low reported direct confirmation from Satterfield that “he took a job to go with Matt Rhule as @HuskerFBNationIt’s OC. Actual confirmation of a departure — or hiring by Nebraska — wouldn’t come when USC ended, a school spokesperson told The State.

However, Satterfield was not at the South Carolina football facility for team meetings on Monday, a sports source told The State.

Satterfield’s move would come after the South Carolina No. 20 (8-4) ended the year by earning back-to-back Top 10 wins for the first time in program history with wins over the No. Tennessee’s No. 5 and Clemson’s No. 8. The Gamecocks scored 94 points in those wins, thanks in large part to the efforts of quarterback Spencer Rattler and the offense.

Rhule and Satterfield’s relationship dates back to their time in West Carolina in 2005. Satterfield also worked on Rhule’s team at Temple, Baylor and the Carolina Panthers. The two remained close during this time. Rhule was to be officially introduced as Nebraska’s new coach on Monday afternoon.

It was not immediately clear who would lead the Gamecocks offense in the interim and call plays for South Carolina’s TBD game.

Beamer after Clemson’s game on Saturday called Satterfield a “fighter” and praised his efforts in winning the rivalry game.

“He would be the first to tell you that we didn’t practice well enough in the game against Florida, we didn’t practice well enough in the game against Missouri,” Beamer said. “We knew what the issues were.”

Satterfield’s future in Colombia was uncertain at best before South Carolina’s offensive outbursts against Tennessee and Clemson, sources inside the program say.

Satterfield was in the middle of a two-year contract which was due to expire on December 31. He was also one of only two assistant coaches on the field – along with offensive line coach Greg Adkins – who did not receive a raise from the varsity after last year’s 7-6 inaugural campaign. .

Under the direction of Satterfield, South Carolina has scored 21 or fewer points in six of its eight league games in 2021. It has faced halftime deficits of at least 17 points in games against Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia and Clemson. The Gamecocks were also shut out by the Tigers for the first time since 1989 in last year’s 30-0 loss.

Head-scratching play calls, like a deceptive onside pass from defensive lineman Jordan Burch on Tennessee’s goal line that was intercepted last year, didn’t really endear the offensive coordinator either. to loyal Gamecocks.

South Carolina was expected to step forward offensively in 2022. Until the last two games, the team had remained largely inconsistent despite an influx of talent through the transfer portal.

Rattler, who came to Columbia as one of the most sought after quarterback transfers in recent memory, has had his ups and downs this fall. His 11 interceptions are the most among SEC flaggers averaging at least 15 assists per game. He also threw for less than 250 yards in nine of 12 games heading into the week.

Rattler has had two of his best three games as a Gamecock in the past two weeks. He completed 54 of 75 passes (72%) for 792 yards, eight touchdowns and just two interceptions in wins over Tennessee and Clemson. His 438 yards against the Vols also set a career high.

The use of do-it-all tight end Jaheim Bell also became a hot topic at the end of the season after he played just nine snaps without a touch in the loss to Missouri – a game the Gamecocks shot in just 203 yards of total attack.

Beamer hired Satterfield after initially retaining Mike Bobo as South Carolina’s offensive coordinator. Beamer was forced to pivot when Bobo accepted the offensive coordinator position under Bryan Harsin at Auburn. Bobo was fired after just one season on The Plains.

Satterfield and Beamer also go back decades after working together as graduate assistants on Philip Fulmer’s staff at Tennessee in the early 2000s. Satterfield – a Tennessee native – played his college ball at East Tennessee State and has spent two years on the UT-Chattanooga staff before landing on the Tennessee staff.

This story was originally published November 28, 2022 10:02 a.m.