South Carolina hires star from Spurrier era to be new D-line coach

South Carolina is turning to a familiar face to fill its vacant defensive line coach spot.

Head coach Shane Beamer will hire Tulane’s Travian Robertson as the Gamecocks’ next defensive line coach., the school announced Monday morning. A source with knowledge of the process confirmed the move to The State on Sunday night.

Chris Clark of GamecockCentral first reported the news.

Robertson starred for the Gamecocks under Steve Spurrier and was elected a captain his senior season in 2011.

“Couldn’t be more excited about bringing @ROBERTSON_9TWO HOME,” Beamer said Monday via Twitter. “A great player here and will be an even better Coach/Recruiter!!”

The move comes after defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey departed the program last week to take on the same role at LSU.

Robertson’s addition still needs formal approval from the USC board of trustees, though the Gamecocks will introduce him Tuesday afternoon at a press conference.

Robertson was selected in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He played four years in the NFL in stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders and Falcons.

Following his playing days, Robertson was hired by former USC assistant Shawn Elliott as a graduate assistant at Georgia State in 2017. Robertson left GSU after one season to become the defensive line coach at Albany State. He returned to Atlanta in 2019 and spent three years on the Panthers’ staff as the defensive line coach before being hired at Tulane last year.

Robertson was part of this year’s Tulane squad that finished 12-2 and beat No. 8 Southern Cal in the Cotton Bowl. The Green Wave’s 12 victories tied a program record and was just the fourth double-digit-win season for the school — the first since 1934.

Beamer has now replaced two on-field staff members from the 2022 campaign in Lindsey and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield, who left South Carolina to become the OC for Matt Rhule at Nebraska. Satterfield was replaced by longtime NFL offensive coordinator and former Arkansas tight ends coach Dowell Loggains.

Robertson will be the lone on-field staffer who played for the Gamecocks, but he’s not the first to do so under Beamer. Ex-South Carolina quarterback Erik Kimrey spent one year on Beamer’s staff in 2021 before taking the head coaching job at The Baylor School in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Beamer hired Lindsey as part of his initial staff at South Carolina in 2021. Lindsey had been in Columbia for the last two years after following defensive coordinator Clayton White from Western Kentucky.

Lindsey received a one-year extension in January, putting him under contract through Dec. 31, 2024 and bumping his salary from $375,000 to $475,000 annually. The terms of that deal stipulate he would owe South Carolina $300,000 for terminating the contract in Year 1 of its life.

Robertson is expected to oversee mostly the interior of South Carolina’s defensive line. The group will have to replace former five-star recruit Zacch Pickens — who was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears — but bring back a plethora of options. Alex “Boogie” Huntley and Tonka Hemingway should anchor the group, along with Nick Barrett and T.J. Sanders.