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Latest on South Carolina running backs coach search

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Latest on South Carolina running backs coach search


According to a report from 247Sports Matt Zenitz, South Carolina is expected to hire former Texas A&M and Ole Miss running backs coach Marquel Blackwell.

GamecockCentral has confirmed that Blackwell is the leading candidate for the job and has been in negotiations with South Carolina. GamecockCentral has not yet confirmed if Blackwell has accepted the job and has been told another SEC school is also involved with Blackwell.

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Blackwell spent this past season at Texas A&M after spending 2022 at Ole Miss.

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A native of St. Petersburg, Fla., Blackwell graduated from South Florida where he was starting quarterback for four years, throwing for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns while rushing for 1,235 yards and 20 touchdowns in his career.

COACHING HISTORY

  • 2006: Freedom (Fla.) HS (Offensive Coordinator)
  • 2007-08: Freedom (Fla.) HS (Head Coach)
  • 2009-11: USF (QBs)
  • 2012: Western Kentucky (RBs)
  • 2013: USF (Director of of Player Development)
  • 2014: Lakewood (Fla.) HS (Asst. Head Coach/OC)
  • 2015: Florida (Quality Control)
  • 2016-17: Toledo (RBs)
  • 2018: West Virginia (RBs)
  • 2019: Houston (co-Offensive Coordinator/QBs)
  • 2020-21: Houston (co-Offensive Coordinator/RBs)
  • 2022: Ole Miss (RBs)
  • 2023-: Texas A&M (RBs)

Bio from Texas A&M

Marquel Blackwell joined the Texas A&M football staff in February 2023 as the running backs coach. Prior to arriving in Aggieland, Blackwell spent the 2022 season at Ole Miss after three seasons at Houston.

At Ole Miss, Blackwell helped lead one of the best rushing offenses in the nation, as the Rebels ranked third in the country and led the SEC with 256.5 yards per game. Freshman Quinshon Judkins led the SEC and ranked among the top 10 nationally with 1,565 yards and 16 touchdowns in his debut season. 

Blackwell began his time at Houston as the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2019 before taking over the running backs for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

In his second season as running backs coach, Blackwell saw the total rushing production improve by 847 yards. Cougar running backs found the end zone 27 times in 2021 compared to 12 in 2020.

Blackwell helped freshman phenom Alton McCaskill to a record-setting season in 2021 that concluded with him being named American Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year. McCaskill’s 961 rushing yards were the most by a UH running back since 2015 while his 16 rushing touchdowns led all true freshmen across the country.

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Blackwell spent the 2018 season at West Virginia and helped lead a Mountaineer offense that eclipsed the 500-yard and 40-point marks eight times during the season, including 704 yards and 56 points vs. Oklahoma.

West Virginia had three different running backs register 100-yard rushing games during the 2018 season in Leddie Brown, Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway. Brown became the first WVU true freshman to record multiple 100-yard rushing games since 2007.

Blackwell arrived at West Virginia after serving as the running backs coach at Toledo in 2016-17. He was part of a staff that led the Rockets to a 20-7 mark through two seasons, including an 11-3 record in 2017, the 2017 Mid-American Conference championship and two bowl appearances.

In 2017, Terry Swanson led the Mid-American Conference with 1,363 rushing yards and was third in the league with 14 touchdowns. That same season saw Shakif Symour run for 704 yards and 12 touchdowns, No. 3 in the MAC and No. 4 among all freshmen in FBS. Against Bowling Green, Seymour tied a school record with five rushing touchdowns.

In 2016, Kareem Hunt led the MAC and was No. 15 nationally with 1,475 yards while rushing for at least 100 yards eight times. A third-round NFL Draft selection by the Kansas City Chiefs, Hunt finished with a Toledo-record 4,945 yards, ranking No. 3 in MAC history.

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Under Blackwell’s guidance, Toledo ranked fourth in the MAC in rushing offense (195.0 ypg) in 2016. He helped four running backs to gain 200-plus rushing yards during the season. Swanson was second on the team with 600 rushing yards.

Prior to his time at Toledo, Blackwell coached 20 high school players who earned Division I scholarships, as well as three college players who became first-round NFL draft picks.

Blackwell’s first coaching positions came at Freedom High in New Tampa, Florida, first as the offensive coordinator in 2006, then as the head coach from 2007-08. He returned to USF, his alma mater, from 2009-11 as a quality control coach.

Following a year as the running backs coach at Western Kentucky in 2012, Blackwell returned to USF, as the director of player development in 2013. He returned to the high school ranks in 2014 as the offensive coordinator at Lakewood High before spending the 2015 season at Florida as a quality control specialist, working with the Gator quarterbacks.

Blackwell was USF’s starting quarterback for four years and led the Bulls to a 30-12 mark. He threw for 9,108 yards and 57 touchdowns and had 1,235 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns in his career. He set most of the Bulls’ career passing records and is among the tops in rushing yards and touchdowns. The three-year captain led the Bulls to a 9-2 record as a senior before playing in the NFL with the New York Jets.

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Blackwell and his wife, Sharvettye, have three daughters, LeQuay, Shaye, and Shyeloh.



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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’

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Nancy Mace’s foul-mouthed airport tirades roil race for South Carolina governorship as rival slams ‘spoiled brat’


New disclosures of a foul-mouthed tirade by Rep. Nancy Mace in the Charleston airport have roiled the South Carolina governor’s race and ignited angry accusations between the lawmaker and one of her competitors in the Republican primary.

Her rival, state AG Alan Wilson, called Mace a “spoiled brat” who treats cops like “servants,” at a time when the two of them are furiously competing for support from voters – and President Trump.

Mace back in August called herself “Trump in high heels” and acknowledged “I would really like his support for governor.” So far, Trump hasn’t given it – to anybody.

An investigative report by the Charleston Airport Authority quotes police officers and TSA agents who say Rep. Nancy Mace used foul language while trying to get expedited security processing FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

Mace this week slammed an internal Charleston Airport Authority investigation that probed her profanity-laced “spectacle” Oct. 30, when Mace chewed out police officers and TSA agents over expedited security for her outbound flight, after a planned VIP escort fell through.

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New details are still coming to light – including an earlier incident in April where Mace allegedly blew up at agents who wouldn’t let her bring a family member through expedited security, according to the investigation report. 

“This is the only airport that gives me s–t,” she complained, according to one of the numerous law enforcement officers interviewed as part of the probe.

The investigative report was obtained by The Post through a public documents request.

One interviewed TSA agent quotes Mace as telling a cop following the botched Oct. 30 escort for her arrival at an airport gate, “I’m sick of your s–t, I’m tired of having to wait.”

Another officer, an explosives tech, described Mace as being “very nasty, very rude.” She said she could hear Mace calling police officers “f–king idiots” and “f–king incompetent” and stating that she was a “f–king representative.”

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“This is the only airport that gives me s–t”, Mace said, according to testimony in the report AP

Yet the airport was “not busy at all” at the time of the incident, the officer said.

A TSA agent said during the interaction Mace “literally was on that phone talking and texting her life away” as well as “saying rude things,” according to the investigative report.

One TSA officer who had been at the airport 23 years told investigators “every VIP or whomever, dignitary, that we’ve been across and had to deal with, we never, never had this problem.”

Mace hired an attorney and threatened weeks ago to sue the airport over the October incident, but has yet to do so.

One officer noted that the airport was not crowded the morning of Oct. 30 when Mace had her meltdown FOIA via Charleston Regional Aviation Authority

The report revealed the April confrontation when agents wouldn’t let Mace bring a family member through expedited security. TSA later let her take family members with her when she got screened.

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“I thought that the way she acted showed a sense of entitlement – [that] she is entitled to special protection, she is entitled to special treatment. When she doesn’t get special treatment, she throws a tantrum. To me that harkens back to a child not getting their way,” Wilson told The Post in an interview.

“These are public servants, not personal servants,” he said of law enforcement at the airport.

State AG Alan Wilson said Mace was behaving like a “spoiled brat,” and is challenging Mace in a fierce race for governor of South Carolina. AP

Mace told CNN in an interview this week the report had been “falsified,” without providing evidence. In response to Wilson’s “brat” comment, she wrote: “Imagine being ‘Attorney General’ and flying 500 miles for the sole purpose of dismissing death threats against a single mom.”

She told The Post she has received numerous credible death threats, and said on Friday a judge denied bond to a man accused of making online threats against her. She said during the April incident TSA had violated its own policy allowing federal officials to bring a guest and separated her from her child.

Mace has been taking her case to the airwaves in a week where she trashed the House Republican leadership in a Washington Post op-ed.

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A consultant to Mace’s campaign, Austin McCubbin, resigned Dec. 1, accusing her of turning her back on MAGA and trying to “hug the political cactus that is the [Sen.] Rand Paul [and Rep.] Thomas Massie wing of the Party.”



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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews

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A Stronger Rail Network Is a Win for South Carolina’s Economy – FITSNews


“The combined rail system would offer the reliability our business community has been asking for…”


by NATHAN BALLENTINE

***

For as long as I’ve served in the South Carolina House, I’ve believed that strong infrastructure is the backbone of a strong economy. Whether talking about roads, bridges, broadband, or freight mobility, our ability to efficiently move people and goods determines how competitive our state will be in the decades ahead. South Carolina continues to grow at one of the fastest rates in the country, and with that growth comes a responsibility to ensure our logistics network can meet the demands of modern commerce.

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That is why the proposed merger between Union Pacific (UP) and Norfolk Southern (NS) deserves thoughtful consideration, not just at the national level, but here at home. South Carolina’s economic success is directly tied to reliable freight transportation. From advanced manufacturing in the Upstate, to the distribution and warehousing centers in the Midlands, to the countless businesses that depend on steady supply chains, every region of our state relies on a freight system that works smoothly and predictably.

When freight rail is fragmented across multiple networks, bottlenecks and delays become far more common. Businesses, especially those operating with tight production schedules and narrow delivery windows, feel the impacts immediately. A delayed railcar can throw off inventory planning, disrupt operations, and create ripple effects that stretch across an entire supply chain. These unpredictable slowdowns can be enormously costly for the companies that keep South Carolina’s economy moving.

***

The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger aims to address many of these longstanding challenges. By creating a unified network connecting more than 50,000 miles of track and linking 43 states with over 100 ports nationwide, the combined rail system would offer something our business community has been asking for: reliability. Studies indicate the merger could generate approximately $1 billion in annual cost savings and improve freight-car velocity by around 10 percent. These aren’t abstract figures, they reflect tangible improvements that would strengthen operations for employers, distributors, retailers, and consumers alike.

***

“Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina…”

***

A more dependable rail network means companies can plan with greater precision, suppliers can manage logistics with fewer surprises, and transportation partners can commit to schedules with increased confidence. Economic development teams would also have an even stronger pitch when attracting new employers to South Carolina: not just a skilled workforce and business-friendly climate, but a transportation network capable of supporting long-term growth.

Improved rail performance also benefits South Carolina’s infrastructure more broadly. Rail is one of the most efficient ways to move goods long distances. Every shipment that travels by rail instead of truck reduces congestion on our highways, lowers fuel costs, and decreases wear and tear on roads that taxpayers ultimately fund. Better rail capacity complements, rather than replaces, our ongoing efforts to invest in roads and bridges across the state. It allows us to stretch transportation dollars further and focus on the improvements most needed in fast-growing communities.

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Another important factor is competitiveness. States across the Southeast are aggressively investing in logistics infrastructure to position themselves as national leaders in manufacturing and distribution. If South Carolina wants to stay ahead, and continue attracting companies that create stable, high-quality jobs, we must support improvements that strengthen the reliability and efficiency of our freight network. The Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger presents an opportunity to do just that.

***

RELATED | SOURCES: S.C. LAWMAKERS THREATEN SUPREME COURT

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As someone who has spent nearly two decades advocating for responsible, forward-looking growth in our state, I believe that modernizing our freight system is not just a transportation issue, it is an economic necessity. Ensuring that goods can move quickly, safely, and predictably is fundamental to the success of our businesses and the financial well-being of South Carolina families.

Federal regulators will ultimately determine the path forward, and their review should be thorough and transparent. But from where I sit, the potential benefits to our state are clear. A more integrated, efficient rail system will help South Carolina businesses compete, help consumers by keeping costs lower, and help our state maintain the strong economic momentum we’ve built over the past decade.

A stronger rail network means a stronger South Carolina, and that is a future we should fully support.

***

ABOUT THE AUTHOR…

Nathan Ballentine (Provided)

Nathan Ballentine represents the citizens of House District 71 in the S.C. General Assembly.

***

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts

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LIVE: SC AG Alan Wilson, state, national leaders hold press conference on statewide drug busts


Statehouse Reporter Mary Green will have more on this tonight.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) – South Carolina Attorney General and other officials will be holding a press conference Friday at 9:30 a.m. to talk about statewide drug busts.

Wilson is set to be joined by South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Mark Keel, representatives from the Drug Enforcement Administration and Homeland Security, as well as several local sheriffs and other law enforcement partners.

Watch the full press conference in the video above.

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