South Carolina Football: Former Gamecock gets coaching opportunity

South Carolina football fans have seen a number of former Gamecock players get into coaching this offseason.

The latest name to join the coaching ranks is former Carolina defensive back Jamyest Williams. The former 4-star cornerback recruit in the class of 2017 is now the newest defensive backs coach for Mount Vernon School in Sandy Springs, Georgia outside of Atlanta.

He will work at Mount Vernon for Georgia Bulldogs legend Terrence Edwards who owns the UGA records for receiving yards (season and career), receptions (career), and touchdown receptions (career). Edwards also owned the SEC record for receiving yards at the time his career ended. Now, by hiring Williams, the first-year head coach for the Mustangs brings in a Georgia high school football legend to coach his secondary.

Williams spent three seasons with the South Carolina football program from 2017-2019 before spending three more (a redshirt in 2019 and the "Covid redshirt" in 2020 made that possible) at Georgia State where he split his time between the secondary and the offensive backfield.

#21's best year with the Gamecocks was his freshman campaign. In a secondary full of players who seemed to always be rotating positions and places in the starting lineup, Williams got a lot of run at nickel and at safety that season for head coach Will Muschamp and defensive coordinator Travaris Robinson. He finished his first season with career-highs in tackles (38), tackles for loss (4), and interceptions (2).

Ultimately, his size and injuries kept him from having the career he had hoped to have in garnet and black. After transferring to his home state of Georgia and playing running back for the Georgia State Panthers, he was a weapon in the backfield for South Carolina football assistant coach Shawn Elliott who was the head coach at GSU at the time.

Williams joins former Gamecocks like Duce Staley, Jake Bentley, Jaylin Dickerson, Syvelle Newton, and others in taking new jobs in coaching this offseason.