Former Alabama head coach joins South Carolina football staff

Former Alabama head coach Mike Shula has joined the South Carolina football coaching staff.

Gamecocks offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains acknowledged Shula’s arrival to the USC staff during a press conference Wednesday. Shula will be an analyst on the team and was on the field at USC’s first practice on Tuesday, according to Loggains.

Shula replaces Sean Ryan, who was an analyst with the Gamecocks last year but left to take a job with the Miami Dolphins.

“In this business, you are always looking to bring in knowledge and guys that can help you. Mike is a guy that I worked against a long time and Coach (Shane) Beamer has known as well,” Loggains said. “I have a ton of respect for him as an offensive mind and quarterback guy. He is a good fit from a resume standpoint, character standpoint and person standpoint. He makes us better.”

Shula, the son of NFL coaching legend Don Shula, was most recently an analyst with the Buffalo Bills, a job he held since 2022. He has more than 30 years of coaching experience. He was a college quarterback at Alabama and was the head coach for the Crimson Tide from 2002-06,

But most of Shula’s coaching experience has come in the NFL with stops in Chicago, Tampa Bay, Miami, Jacksonville, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Denver. He has either been an offensive coordinator or quarterback coach at those stops.

Shula was the offensive coordinator for the Panthers when they went to the Super Bowl in 2015.

Loggains said that experience will help out the Gamecocks as they have a quarterback battle between LaNorris Sellers, Robby Ashford, Davis Beville and early enrollee Dante Reno.

“He has been through so many of these quarterback competitions,” Loggains said of Shula. “He has a wealth of knowledge and will be involved in the (quarterback) conversations as well.”