Why adding Freddie Kitchens is a no-brainer for South Carolina and the offense

South Carolina is including some NFL taste to its teaching workers.

OK, sluggish these eye rolls.

Sure, Gamecocks followers have had combined feelings from offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield’s foray from the Carolina Panthers to Columbia over the past yr. However this latest transaction is totally different — type of.

South Carolina introduced final week that it had employed former Cleveland Browns head coach and longtime NFL assistant Freddie Kitchens as a senior offensive analyst. In trendy faculty soccer phrases, that’s a elaborate method of claiming Kitchens will seemingly break down movie and help the offensive workers the place mandatory — although his precise obligations are nonetheless being ironed out, per head coach Shane Beamer.

Greater than something, although, Kitchens’ hiring is a no brainer addition for an offensive workers that’s seemingly gone all-in on 2022.

“I wasn’t trying so as to add any individual — we have been set,” Beamer instructed The State final week. “That is simply the chance so as to add any individual that I’ve identified for 20 years, that I do know is a extremely good individual and a extremely good soccer coach.”

Beamer, Satterfield and the remainder of the offensive workers would be the first to let you know that final season wasn’t adequate.

The Gamecocks completed one hundred and tenth out of 130 groups in whole offense nationally. They ranked eleventh within the Southeastern Convention in speeding offense and thirteenth in each scoring offense and passing offense. The USC offensive line additionally ranked among the many league’s worst in most each main blocking class, per Professional Soccer Focus.

To South Carolina’s credit score, it nonetheless mitigated beginning 4 totally different quarterbacks and an up-and-down offensive line to win six regular-season video games and, ultimately, a Duke’s Mayo Bowl romp of North Carolina.

So the place does Kitchens match into all this?

USC has made a transparent effort to revamp an offense that largely held it again a season in the past. The ex-NFL head coach, no less than on paper, must be a chunk of that.

Former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is the headliner of a switch portal class that ranks No. 7 within the nation and No. 4 within the SEC, per 247Sports. Ex-OU tight finish Austin Stogner, Wake Forest working again import Christian Beal-Smith and receivers Antwane “Juice” Wells (James Madison) and Corey Rucker (Arkansas State) ought to all make rapid impacts.

South Carolina additionally brings again productive items from final season’s bunch in receiver Josh Vann and do-it-all tight finish Jaheim Bell. That’s to not point out a working again room that ought to go three or 4 gamers deep with MarShawn Lloyd, Juju McDowell, Beal-Smith and Lovasea Carroll (Georgia).

The addition of Kitchens appears like a house run along side these different offseason strikes. He’s well-connected in NFL circles and has a 20-year relationship with Beamer (and new tight ends coach Jody Wright) relationship again to their days at Mississippi State.

The worst-case state of affairs right here is just not dangerous in any respect: Kitchens spends one season in Columbia breaking down movie and serving to out an offense that ought to take a step ahead.

“I don’t need a big workers of analysts the place no one is aware of what anyone does simply to have a former head coach on workers,” Beamer mentioned. “However (Kitchens) is a man that I do know, that I feel may help us in a variety of methods.”

To be clear, this isn’t an ascent into Nick Saban-dom through the military of individuals he’s employed as analysts over the past decade and the pseudo-recovery program for fired faculty soccer coaches he’s developed in Tuscaloosa.

Beamer made certain to notice that Kitchens’ hiring was, as a lot as the rest, proper place and proper time.

Kitchens — who labored for the New York Giants final yr — visited with South Carolina’s workers this spring, Beamer mentioned. The pair additionally had dinner in Florida in January across the time when the Giants fired head coach Joe Choose (who additionally has ties to Beamer from their time at Mississippi State).

Beamer mentioned there have been different main applications pining after Kitchens — applications, in keeping with Beamer, the previous Alabama quarterback had connections to. (Kitchens was additionally beforehand an assistant at LSU and Mississippi State, for what it’s value.)

“The one factor that will get misplaced within the shuffle generally with being within the enterprise of soccer is the the goodness of individuals,” Kitchens instructed The State earlier this yr. “And we had we had a variety of good folks on that (MSU) workers. They have been nice human beings. They (Beamer, Wright, Choose and others) labored their ass off and and no one actually cared about getting credit score for something. It was nearly coming into work and attempting to do the most effective for Mississippi State on the time.”

The one layer to Kitchens’ addition that may not even matter is whether or not he turns into an insurance coverage coverage ought to the Gamecocks endure any sort of workers adjustments down the highway.

Beamer, as anticipated, stood by his coaches final season when the crew went by way of tough spots. That’s what good bosses ought to do — defend their guys.

That mentioned, it’s no secret that Satterfield got here underneath fireplace in 2021. The USC offense was erratic and unwatchable at factors. A revolving door at quarterback didn’t assist the trigger, nor did inconsistent offensive line play, amongst different elements.

To their credit score, Beamer and Satterfield haven’t shied away from discussing final season’s woes.

Satterfield has wholeheartedly owned the problems of final fall and by no means publicly threw anybody underneath the bus. The identical will be mentioned for Beamer, who went to nice lengths to defend his offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Greg Adkins.

That’s a part of what made moments just like the bowl win over North Carolina vindicating for the second-year head coach.

“All I’ve heard for a month is how terrible they’re, and what am I doing not firing folks and issues like that,” Beamer mentioned postgame. “Properly, I hope that’s an excellent reply for you proper there. That’s why.”

Potential insurance coverage apart, it’s exhausting to think about South Carolina’s offense doesn’t take no less than a small step ahead given the wholesale expertise upgrades on that facet of the ball.

Including a longstanding NFL thoughts to lend his ideas on the unit solely stands to assist that trigger.