UPDATED 4:13 p.m. ET: South Carolina confirmed in a press release that Jeep Hunter will not return as the Gamecocks safeties coach in 2012.
The statement reads that head coach Steve Spurrier ”indicated that he felt the team needed a more experienced secondary coach and has decided to go in that direction.” Which direction will be is not immediately known.
“We wish Coach Hunter and his family the very best,” said Coach Spurrier.
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As South Carolina continues to solidify commitments for its Class of 2012, Steve Spurrier now has a self-created vacancy on his coaching staff to fill as well.
According to TheBigSpur.com, safeties coach Jeep Hunter has been fired by Spurrier. Josh Kendall of The State subsequently tweeted that “Hunter was returning from a recruiting trip and in the airport when… Spurrier called to tell him he was fired.”
No reason for the dismissal has been given as of yet. When reached via email, USC media relations director Steve Fink wrote only that “Coach Spurrier has not been available” when asked about Hunter’s status.
As noted by Kendall, Hunter is the fourth on-field Spurrier assistant to depart either voluntarily or involuntarily since the end of the 2011 season.
Hunter just completed his third season with the Gamecocks and his first on the defensive side of the ball. His first two seasons, he was tight ends coach as well as an assistant special teams coordinator.
(Photo credit: South Carolina athletics)
First of all, it is the “HEAD BALL COACH”, not the reference Josh Kendall has been using. It’s disrespectful to Coach Spurrier and he deserves that respect. I’m sure the Head Ball Coach has his reasons for this personnel move. Working for The State paper, Kendall should know better.
The “Ol” Ball Coach is am arrogant sob! Anyone who has ever coached with him will tell you that. It’s all about him.
Cubano:
You’re obviously a Clemsux fan. He has been successful at every college job he has taken. We have beaten Clemson three straight years and hopefully we’ll make it 4. The HEAD BALL COACH is a Hall of Fame Coach. It’s kinda like you except you are in the “Hall of Shame”. Get lost.
I wonder if Spurrier might bring back Tyrone Nix? He was the DC and LB’s coach before Ellis Johnson, who just left to be the head coach at Southern Miss. I think he’d be a good guy to get back on that staff, and he could also place a call to Kim Dameron, who was his safeties coach under Nix at Ole Miss before the Nutt regime collapsed. Dameron’s the safeties coach at Cornell right now, so he might be okay heading to SC.
How about a “No Balls Coach”. Firing anybody over the phone is a cop out. What a joke.
The insecure are so quick to point out the past three, but fail to acknowledge that they are 4-6 over the last ten. That Clemson owns SC 65-40-4. That Spurrier was very accomplished at Duke and UF, but sucked in Washington and hasn’t won anything at SC. That the two best consecutive seasons at SC in the last fifty still only has a 5-6 record against teams with winning records on game day. Gratz, SC has just won their first bowl game this century. The program is under serious NCAA investigation and the top recruiter was arrested for being drunk and public urination. Wow has it actually beed 2 whole weeks since an SC athlete wasn’t arrested? A new record!
It is now time for the mandatory personal insult from the Shamecock fans that know they can’t argue using facts.
thegamecocker: he’s been calling himself the ol’ ball coach since he was wearing orange and blue and winning hardware every year. Trust me; I was there. You need to get a grip.
jonkybon-
ALL OF THAT still doesn’t change the FACT that Clemson is located in the middle of a cow pasture… which probably explains why you have to pay over $6M for a coaching staff.
By the way, I think West Virginia just scored again!
Does it really matter what the acrage was before it became one of the prettiest college campus’ in the world? I’d rather look at the rolling hills of Clemson then the city traffic of Columbia. Then again, I never enjoyed inhaling car exhaust 24/7.
Probably beat Stevie Wonder at golf.
@ thegamecocker
Wow man! Chill, just my 2 cents. Wasn’t trying to get you Ol worked up!
Just a little note to “the gamecocker”. Years ago I remember somebody asking Coach Spurrier how he’d like to be remembered. I remember him saying: “I don’t know, maybe just as the old ball coach.” I (nor anyone here I’m sure) have ever heard him refer to himself as “the ole head ball coach.” So if you don’t mind, we will continue to refer to him as he wishes to be called: “The Ole Ball Coach.”
The OL Ball coach has been called that for years and it is a term used in respect as anyone with a brain knows!! What some people will say!
They have a coach just for that position?
Cubano:noted
Jonkeyb: go back to your stall at the CCC: Clemson Community College.
Secures:
That would be after he passes. Until then, I’m callin him the Head Ball Coach!
thegamecocker says:
We have beaten Clemson three straight years and hopefully we’ll make it 4.
==============================
“We”??? I didn’t know Rutgers played Clemson……..
Interesting…….
Hey jonkybon let’s get a few things straight! The NCAA investigation is not that serious, because SC self reported it for starters, not to gloss over the fact if you would have won your lone men’s national title in this era you would have had it stripped with all the major violations it took you to cheat and win it; next you’re right in football we’re four out of the last six with three complete “tail” whippings mind you, not to mention we’ve got two straight national championships one of them by way of sending you Taters back to Cowpasture U (CU), two in a row in basketball (and we suck), who cares what Spurrier did in DC he’s in the capital city whipping your tails now, won an SEC East Crown in 2010 ( a much more prestigious accomplishment then your acc win), USC has won in Chapel Hill, and has an ACC Basketball Championship as well! Let’s face it you might be up 65-40, but SC has the first, and the last on the gridiron!
Oh yeah WVU just scored again!
South Carolina completely and utterly owns Tater U right now, and it always has, and always will be Great to be a Gamecock! Another thing this 5-6 stat thrown out against winning programs, tell me how many of those teams have won a National Championship in the last let’s say six seasons? I also would say they’re all SEC teams too!
Get off the OBC, yes he is arrogant. And yes he hasnt win yet, but where were they when “Ol Lou let and before that.
Spurrier has stated a few years back his desire to NOT be called “Ole” Most of the Gamecock fans and press now call him the Head Ball Coach or HBC out ot respect. Something future head coach, Dabo does not have or ever will!
Getting back to Jeep, we don’t know if there are any other issues that come into play. His recruiting area is Florida and he has done VERY poorly, 2 -3 recruits in the past 3 years. So while the over the phone firing was, on the surface, bad, I’ll give the HBC a pass until more comes out. Maybe Jeep got a divorce, gained weight and started smoking!
Clemson talking about NCAA violations. For the young Clemson fans knowledge, The “Death Penalty” for college sports programs was inacted because of the 106 violations, 92 of those being MAJOR Violations, the Clemson football program committed in the late 1970s until 1982 under Danny Ford. Besides all of that talk about HBC, The University of South Carolina is a baseball school in the BEST college athletics conference in the US. The SEC wins more national championships than any other conference and is by far the best football conference of the past, present and forseeable future. I have only two questions for the Clemson fans : How many times have the tigers beaten the Gamecocks in Omaha at the College World Series?….. How does it feel to be owned by your in-state rival in all major sports?
Gamecock, yes 4 of the last 6 and 4 of the last 10 and 40 of the last 109. Yes, SC with their lower expectations have done well the last three years. No doubt.
Your violations will cost SC anywhere from 6 scholarships to the death penalty, but that can’t be serious. Having the players stealing computers from the University is bad enough. Having them stay at a downtown hotel with an almost $50,000. discount is extremely serious. Having athletes arrested almost every week is serious.
And while the Clemson campus was once a cow pasture, Williams Brice was built over a former pig sty. Do your homework. The land was purchased from a pig farmer. However the fact is, most of SC was either farm land or swamp.
BTW there is no such thing as an SEC East crown. Thats like claiming to be the backup bridesmaid. There is an SEC crown and a National Championship crown, but nobody gives a rats a$$ about the runner up.
I love how you think being mediocre in the SEC is such a big deal. Thats like claiming your tough because you have a big brother after your sisters kick your a$$. The fact is SC football doesn’t matter to anyone except Shamecock fans. Actually win something in football and then strut.
Jonkybon:
South Carolina has won something in football: they have beaten your clemson kittens 3 straight seasons. Based on your comments above you appear to be extremely upset. Is it because SC eliminated your team in Omaha twice a few years back? Is it because SC’s young basketball team has beaten Clemson two times in a row? Could it have anything to do with the fact the Lady Gamecocks have beaten the Clemson women two years running?
I think maybe you need to just STFU and get on the SC bandwagon! You’re such a putz it’s not funny. Get off these threads. South Carolina loves the HEAD BALL COACH (HBC) as does UF!
@thegamecocker
You are the one who sounds extremely upset. Get a hold of yourself.