College football's coaching carousel spins on, with recent announcements from both Georgia State University and the University of Georgia shaking up their staff rosters. Georgia State's head football coach, Shawn Elliott, has stepped down and is bound for a position coaching tight ends at South Carolina, as per reports from WRDW.
Elliott, who has led the Georgia State Panthers over seven seasons with an overall record standing at 41-44, is returning to familiar territory at South Carolina where he formerly served, and where he briefly wore the mantle of interim head coach in 2015, the resignation comes just days into GSU's spring practice and leaves the program on the lookout for a new head coach. Meanwhile, the University of Georgia has bid farewell to special teams coordinator Scott Cochran and offensive analyst Darrell Dickey, as reported by FOX5 Atlanta, Kirby Smart, UGA's head coach has now plugged the gap by promoting Kirk Benedict, no stranger to the Bulldogs, to the role of special teams coordinator.
Georgia State's athletic director Charlie Cobb expressed his gratitude towards Elliott for his dedication, "We want to thank Shawn Elliott for his hard work and dedication the last seven years to build this football program, I know this was a difficult decision for him, but I understand his personal reasons, and we wish the best for Shawn and his family," Cobb said in a statement obtained by WRDW. With ambitions to accelerate the search for Elliott's successor, Georgia State has engaged the services of Parker Executive Search to aid in hiring a notable replacement.
In his resignation Elliott didn't hold back his pride for the Panthers' strides under his tenure, "I am proud of this program’s growth, our accomplishments and the foundation we laid for future success, I am especially proud of and grateful to all the players who have worked so hard to make this program successful," according to a statement he gave WRDW; his departure, though marked by personal reasons, underscores a career that uniquely intertwined with the University of South Carolina, suggesting this move is less a parting of ways and more a coming home story.
As for the Bulldogs of UGA, the departures of Cochran and Dickey are just the latest in a string of staff shake-ups, featuring previous exits such as the DB coach Fran Brown heading off to Syracuse and Will Muschamp, co-defensive coordinator, downshifting to an analyst role. Going forward, Benedict's promotion is expected to inject fresh tactics into UGA's special teams play, maintaining the momentum for a program that remains a heavyweight in the college football scene.
