USC coach Shane Beamer is now in the market for a new offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with the departure of Marcus Satterfield to Nebraska. Not only does Beamer have to conduct that search, he also has to stay in touch with key offensive commitments in the upcoming classes who had chosen the Gamecocks in large part because of Satterfield and the offense he teaches.
At the top of that list has to be 2024 QB commitment Dante Reno. When Reno announced his commitment to the Gamecocks last summer, he cited Satterfield and the pro-style offense he runs as one of the major reasons for choosing the program. Reno is the son of a coach, so he knows sudden coaching changes are the norm in college football. Still, this move caught him by surprise.
“It was a little crazy. I woke up and saw the news and I probably had about 12 or 13 reporters text me this morning when I woke up,” Reno said. “It was a little crazy and hectic, but I talked to Coach Beamer. I talked to Coach Satterfield a little earlier today. It was just the best thing for him and his family, the whole offensive system and being really close to Coach (Matt) Rhule. It’s got a spot for him and his family. Obviously, best of luck to him.”
Reno also talked with Beamer a second time Monday night, and the Gamecock coach is doing what he can to keep the young quarterback in the loop about what he plans to do to fill the position.
“He wants to do whatever is best for the team, whatever is best for the guys in that room,” Reno said. “Nothing changes for me. I’m still their guy in the ’24 or ’23 class, whatever they want to do. He’s going to hire a quarterback coach/offensive coordinator within the next couple of weeks after the bowl game. I’m not too sure who is going to call plays in the bowl game, he didn’t tell me that. He just said it would be like a collectively offensive game plan. Nothing changes for me. I’m still locked in with them. I was committed to play for Coach Beamer. Obviously, Coach Satterfield, he recruited me and we had a really good relationship, but obviously Coach Beamer not leaving was still a huge thing.”
The Gamecocks offense was one of the nation’s hottest in their last two weeks totaling over 1000 yards in upset wins over Tennessee and Clemson. Quarterback Spencer Rattler showed off the arm that has intrigued NFL scouts for years. Reno believes in hiring the next coordinator Beamer wants more of the same of what the fans saw the last two weeks.
“Depending on what Spencer does, whether he leaves or stays, is what they are going to base it off of,” Reno said. “I think Coach Beamer wants to open it up a little bit more from having talked to them. I think he wants to keep it pro-style, that’s the way that they’ve recruited me and the way that he’s outlooked it to me in what they want to do.”
Reno has been set to join the Gamecocks for the 2024 class, but he has the option of coming in with the ’23 group. He’ll make a final decision on that after Rattler decides his plans following the bowl game.
“That’s one of the things we have to talk about as a family, whatever Spencer does,” Reno said. “I was talking with Spencer earlier tonight and he’s got to go through that whole wave of NFL information to see if he wants to stay or not. We talked about that earlier tonight. It’s definitely a thing we have to talk about.”
Reno just led his Loomis-Chaffee team to a second straight state championship in Connecticut.
