The South Carolina football team’s offensive line struggles have cost Lonnie Teasley his job. Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer fired Teasley, the team’s offensive line coach, on Sunday. The move comes as the line has struggled during South Carolina’s 3-3 start to the season.
Teasley was in his third season as USC’s offensive line coach, taking over from Greg Adkins.
“Run game coordinator/tight ends coach Shawn Elliott will assume the offensive line coaching responsibilities,” the university said in a statement confirming Teasley’s departure. Elliott previously served as USC’s offensive line coach under Steve Spurrier and Will Muschamp.
This marks just the second assistant coach Beamer has fired since taking over South Carolina in 2021. Running backs coach Montario Hardesty was let go after the 2023 season.
South Carolina offensive linemen rank near the bottom individually at each position, according to Pro Football Focus grades. Guard Shed Sarratt is the highest-ranked USC player, coming in at No. 218 out of all Division I guards.
USC’s offensive line issues were evident during Saturday’s 20-10 loss to LSU. Of the 13 penalties in the game, the Gamecocks’ O-line accounted for five. That doesn’t even include the first play, when — according to Beamer — the entire offense knew the play cadence except for center Rodney Newsom, who snapped the ball late, causing QB LaNorris Sellers to fumble and LSU to recover.
South Carolina’s O-line gave up 41 sacks in both 2023 and 2024. This season, the Gamecocks have already allowed 19 sacks, including five in Saturday’s loss to LSU.
The offensive line has also been hit hard by injuries. It entered the game missing two starters — Cason Henry and Nolan Hay — and then lost Sarratt early in the game. The team had limited depth at the start of the season, and now they are forced to play players who can’t hold up.
The offensive line took much of the blame for the Gamecocks’ 5-7 season in 2023, though injuries ravaged the unit that year, with more than ten offensive linemen sidelined at one point. That season was more forgivable because South Carolina seemed to have young talent at the position, including Henry, Tree Babalade, Trovon Baugh, and Jatavius Shivers.
Sunday’s news comes during one of the toughest stretches of South Carolina’s 2025 schedule. The Gamecocks, currently 3-3, entered the season with playoff hopes. Their upcoming game against Oklahoma is the first of four consecutive matchups against Top 15 teams.