COLUMBIA, S.C. — In the first personnel move of 2024, South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer fired running backs coach Montario Hardesty, who had been at Carolina for Beamer's first three seasons in Columbia.
South Carolina finished last in the SEC in rushing offense this past season, averaging just 85.1 yards per game.
In 2021, South Carolina finished 11th in the SEC in rushing, averaging 136.2 yards per game. The following season, the rushing attack was 12th in the league with an average of 118.9 yards per game.'
A former standout running back at Tennessee, Hardesty came to South Carolina after serving as the wide receivers coach at Charlotte for two seasons.
In 2018, Hardesty was an offensive quality control coach at his alma mater, Tennessee. In 2017, he was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic, where he worked for his former college coach, Lane Kiffin, who is now at Ole Miss. Hardesty was also the running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Norfolk State from 2015 to 2016.