Sports

Gamecocks Hire Jon Hoke

STEVE SPURRIER LOOKS TO SHORE UP SOUTH CAROLINA DEFENSE || By FITSNEWS || The University of South Carolina football program has hired veteran National Football League (NFL) defensive assistant Jon Hoke to lead its defense in 2015, ESPN.com is reporting. Hoke – who worked with Gamecock head football coach Steve Spurrier during…

STEVE SPURRIER LOOKS TO SHORE UP SOUTH CAROLINA DEFENSE

|| By FITSNEWS || The University of South Carolina football program has hired veteran National Football League (NFL) defensive assistant Jon Hoke to lead its defense in 2015, ESPN.com is reporting.

Hoke – who worked with Gamecock head football coach Steve Spurrier during the latter’s successful tenure at Florida – will look to rebuild a defensive unit that was eviscerated throughout the 2014 season.  The Gamecocks gave up a whopping 432.7 yards and 30.6 points per game last year en route to the most disappointing season of any team in all of college football.

South Carolina’s “D” also failed to show improvement over the course of the year … and coughed up multiple two-touchdown leads in the fourth quarter of games (including heartbreaking losses to Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee).

Hoke, 58, spent three years as Spurrier’s defensive coordinator at Florida – succeeding Bob Stoops in that role.  He went on to the NFL in 2002, coaching defensive backs for the Houston Texans for eight years.  For the last six seasons, he’s been the defensive backfield coach for the Chicago Bears.

Spurrier attempted to hire Hoke – the older brother of former Michigan head coach Brady Hoke – when the latter first came to South Carolina in 2005, but Hoke declined.

Unclear at this point is the status of defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward – whose units finishing among the nation’s elite in 2012 and 2013 before falling off the map this season.  The Gamecocks were originally viewed as the frontrunners to land former Florida head coach Will Muschamp – but the defensive guru wound up taking the defensive coordinator’s post at Auburn.

Terms of Hoke’s contract were not immediately released but it is reported he will make in the $750,000-a-year range annually.

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23 comments

John February 4, 2015 at 3:52 pm

Didn’t the Bears get torched for more than 50 points twice last year? And they were 30 (out of 32) in the NFL in passing yards allowed. This doesn’t give me much to get excited about.

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Frank Howard February 4, 2015 at 4:15 pm

Teeheehee. My boy Deshaun Watson when healthy ought to put up at least 63.

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PCAlum February 4, 2015 at 4:50 pm

and with our incoming class im suspecting we give up less than 17

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Frank Howard February 4, 2015 at 5:54 pm

Teeheehee.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein February 4, 2015 at 8:04 pm

Paging Dr. Lou…….

Toyota Kawski February 5, 2015 at 4:23 pm

tee is what some one did on your brain if you think that will happen. As Mutombo says “not in my house” teeheehehehe heyhe htttttetetejetye. Win one out of the last 5 and all of sudden you think your running the state again.

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Frank Howard February 5, 2015 at 7:19 pm

Key word there, Sonny, is “again.” Brace yourself, shiite does indeed happen.

Bwaaahahahahaha!

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Scooter February 4, 2015 at 9:54 pm

Another former Florida coach that cut not cut it in the NFL

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bye bye SEC February 4, 2015 at 10:12 pm

Hired Hoke? BAD day for Shamecocks:

The Buckeyes added their latest commitment from ’15 cornerback Damon Arnettewhen Arnette announced he would be flipping from South Carolina and heading to Columbus to play his college ball.

Players win games, NOT coaches.

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roberto February 5, 2015 at 12:09 pm

For 5 of the last six years Clemson fans have botched about how they can’t beat Superior. I guess it was actually players that did that run of wins. And to think: Clemson out recruited us every one of those years.

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Toyota Kawaski February 5, 2015 at 4:28 pm

top 10 talent and the mailroom clerk to coach um up. Please give Dat Boy a life time contract.

BK February 4, 2015 at 3:55 pm

Where is the “LIKE” button for this post? Any change from Ward is a good change.
(FYI – I wanted to be the first to comment on this post, especially before FoxNews-certified-GOP-apologist GrandTango adds his commentary on how this story somehow relates to Obama, Benghazi and Hillary Clinton’s electability in 2016).

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GrandTango February 4, 2015 at 3:59 pm

Ignorant much?

I hardly ever watch FOX News…Dumb@$$…

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BK February 4, 2015 at 4:10 pm

Ignorant? No. Try astute. Clinton did send Lorenzo to coordinate USC defense instead of defending Benghazi, as was directed by Obama. Her move saved countless lives and padded Rupert Murdoch’s wallet. Your hero, Sean Hannity, reported it first and you shared the link on the now-defunct SCPSD. Or have you forgotten?

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GrandTango February 4, 2015 at 4:31 pm

You are a PRIME example of why none of you should attempt to emulate me…(though so many of you try)….

You have no talent…and when you try, you just make your deficiencies painfully evident…

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BK February 4, 2015 at 4:52 pm

Emulate? No. Emasculate? Achieved. Next!

McAssters' Asst. February 4, 2015 at 4:21 pm

I hardly ever watch Fox News…Dumb@$$…

I hardly ever drink and drive…

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GrandTango February 4, 2015 at 4:02 pm

The State newspaper will Crap it’s pants. It clung to the hope Spurrier would stand pat. Josh Kendall went into throes of pleasure, when Spurrier said no changes until signing was complete…

Hide the sharp objects, now. I bet Kendall – and MoRon- are in meltdown……Spurrier is addressing the PROBLEM…Dabo can return to @$$-Kickee status, immediately…LMAO…

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Scooter February 4, 2015 at 9:56 pm

You are learning quicker than I really expected.

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E Norma Scok February 4, 2015 at 11:11 pm

You are the stupidest man(?) alive

LMAO

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idcydm February 4, 2015 at 4:52 pm

“…most disappointing season of any team in all of college football.”…only if you’re a Gamecock fan.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein February 4, 2015 at 8:02 pm

Dibs on the use of “Jon CHOKE” in future comments.

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Squishy123 February 4, 2015 at 8:45 pm

We’ll see if he’ll be able to do anything, or if he’ll admit that his job is to try and polish a turd.

Reply

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