GREENVILLE, S.C. — South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer has hired Kendal Briles as the Gamecocks’ next offensive coordinator, bringing in a veteran play-caller known for producing high-tempo, high-yardage offenses across multiple Power Five programs.
Briles, who spent the past two seasons as TCU’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is expected to overhaul a South Carolina offense that ranked near the bottom of the SEC in most major categories in 2025. The Gamecocks averaged just 21.4 points per game, finished 102nd nationally in scoring, and struggled to generate explosive plays behind an inexperienced offensive line and a scheme that did not fit quarterback LaNorris Sellers’ strengths.
At TCU, Briles helped engineer one of the most productive passing attacks in the Big 12. The Horned Frogs averaged 292.8 passing yards per game in 2025, which ranked second in the conference, and finished third in total offense at 425.3 yards per game. His 2024 unit finished eighth nationally in passing offense and produced nearly 4,000 yards through the air while ranking above 90 percent in red-zone efficiency. Under Briles, TCU also converted 78 percent of its fourth-down attempts, one of the top marks in the country.
Briles previously coordinated offenses at Arkansas, Florida State, Houston, FAU and Baylor, with several of those teams finishing among the national leaders in tempo, scoring and yards per play. During his tenure at Baylor, the Bears twice averaged more than 600 yards of offense per game, including a 2015 season in which the program set school records for total offense and scoring.
South Carolina has rotated through offensive coordinators quickly under Beamer, making Briles the fourth play-caller hired since 2021. The move signals a shift away from the pro-style system used last season toward a spread, up-tempo approach designed to maximize Sellers’ dual-threat ability and simplify reads for a young supporting cast.
Beamer said in a statement the program needed “a fresh identity and proven production,” and described Briles as someone who “develops quarterbacks, stresses defenses, and brings an edge to everything he does.”
Briles inherits a roster that hopefully returns Sellers and several young offensive playmakers but must rebuild an offensive line that struggled throughout 2025. The Gamecocks finished 4–8 overall and 1–7 in SEC play, and Beamer is under pressure entering his sixth season to produce immediate improvement.
For Briles, the South Carolina job marks his first SEC role since leaving Arkansas, where his 2021 offense finished seventh nationally in rushing and averaged 471 yards per game. His task in Columbia will be similar to his previous stops — accelerating the pace, creating explosive plays and pushing a stagnant offense back toward relevance in one of college football’s toughest conferences.
South Carolina is expected to introduce Briles formally later this week.