News broke on Thursday that South Carolina is hiring Georgia State head coach Shawn Elliott to serve as the Gamecocks' new tight ends coach. 

Elliott previously coached the offensive line at South Carolina before leaving to become the new head coach at Georgia State ahead of the 2017 season. 

Because of the timing of the hire — Georgia State's spring practice started this week with their spring game scheduled for March 7 — the Panthers have reportedly postponed spring practice and their spring game. 

Georgia State has postponed spring practice and its spring game because head coach Shawn Elliott resigned to become the tight ends coach at South Carolina two days into spring practices at GSU.

Never seen anything like this before.

— Brandon Marcello (@bmarcello) February 15, 2024

Hopefully Georgia State can figure out their head coaching situation and get spring practice back on track. The players deserve it. And remember, this sport is about players.

I don't love the timing of this move as it throws the Georgia State program into complete disarray. 

I'm sure plenty of South Carolina fans will dismiss this and say "oh, it's just Georgia State". And I get it, that's not a program that's relevant on the national stage. But those players matter. They're just as important as players at Georgia, Ohio State, or any other major program. 

On the flip side, Elliott's reasoning for leaving Georgia State is commendable. According to ESPN, Elliott told his daughter that he'd do all he could to return to South Carolina for her senior year of high scool. 

“I had promised my daughter that I would be there for her senior year of high school and when this opportunity came up to go back to South Carolina and coach again, it was something I couldn’t pass up,” said Elliott. “I’ve always loved South Carolina.”

Update: Here's a statement from Shawn Elliott: 

“It’s extremely difficult to step away from the Georgia State football program, particularly the players and staff who have gone above and beyond. As hard as this decision is professionally, it’s something that I must do personally.”

And here's a statement from Georgia State athletic director Charlie Cobb:

“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. I am confident that we will hire an outstanding football coach who will take Georgia State football to even greater heights.”

Note: An earlier version of this story said that Shane Beamer should be "ashamed" of poaching Elliott from Georgia State and throwing their program into disarray. I extend my apologies to Coach Beamer for jumping to conclusions. If anything, it's quite the opposite. The timing is unfortunate, but family is everything. And Beamer provided a special opportunity for Coach Elliott during a portion of his life he'll never get to repeat. 

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