[20] Coinciding with a period of heightened in-state high school football talent,[21] Spurrier and his staff were considered excellent recruiters,[22] bringing in renowned players such as Eric Norwood, Melvin Ingram, Stephon Gilmore, Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore, Connor Shaw, and Jadeveon Clowney.

[27][26][28] After winning a Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at the University of Florida and a largely unremarkable NFL playing career,[29] Steve Spurrier entered coaching.

[32] Spurrier earned his first head coaching jobs starting in the 1980s, first with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League and then returning to Duke.

[33] In January 2002, Spurrier abrupty resigned from his position at Florida, stating "I simply believe that twelve years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough.

[42] On October 30, 2004, after South Carolina's loss to Tennessee, head football coach Lou Holtz told his athletic director, Mike McGee, that it would be his last season.

"[8] On November 4, Spurrier called Florida athletic director Jeremy Foley and informed him that he was withdrawing his name from consideration for the Gators' head coaching job.

[49] Later that day, as a result of the brawl, South Carolina announced it would not accept a post-season bowl bid despite finishing the season bowl-eligible, making the Clemson game the last of Holtz's career.

[70] Spurrier, later called "one of the game's most renowned minds" and "the most famous man in South Carolina",[71][35] immediately helped provide excitement and exposure to a school that had "long been starving for attention and success in football".

[9] Before the game against Arkansas, Spurrier had also assigned Nix the sole responsibility of making the defensive calls for the rest of the season, taking those duties away from Thompson.

[73][78] Weeks after the Independence Bowl, Spurrier confirmed that former co-defensive coordinator John Thompson, who was on paid leave of absence, would not return to South Carolina.

[86] Next week, the Gamecocks beat Middle Tennessee, led by former South Carolina recruiting coordinator Rick Stockstill, in a home victory which ended their losing streak.

[98] However, the Gamecocks' rushing defense was reportedly "never the same" after Jasper Brinkley, one of the best middle linebackers in the league, suffered a season-ending injury in the loss to LSU; Spurrier also decided to make a quarterback change despite the 6–1 start.

[35] He was replaced briefly by Atlanta Falcons assistant coach Brian VanGorder, and then by Ellis Johnson, who had most recently been the defensive coordinator for Mississippi State.

[107][117] Running backs coach Robert Gillespie left to take the same position at Oklahoma State;[117][123] he was replaced by Jay Graham from Miami (Ohio).

[134] Following the upset over Ole Miss, the song "Sandstorm" would also increasingly become a Gamecock anthem and tradition, as it had been played near the end of the historic win, to great excitement.

[140] Although on-field football results hadn't met everyone's expectations, athletic director Eric Hyman believed that it was "really clear cut" that the program was progressing, as it was filling up with talent.

[15] Connor Shaw, Marcus Lattimore, freshman offensive linemen, Kelcy Quarles, and a young star-studded defense were specifically cited reasons for excitement about the future.

[161][162] South Carolina was considered a potential dark horse contender entering the 2011 season,[163][164] with the return of quarterback Stephen Garcia, Heisman candidate Marcus Lattimore, two starting receivers, and a solid offensive line, as well as Alabama not being on the schedule.

[198][194][9] The Gamecocks began receiving comparisons to the 1984 team,[198] which came close to winning a national championship,[199] with similarities in enthusiasm, running backs, quarterbacks, points-per-game, and opportunistic defense.

[231] Several factors and people convinced him to return in 2015: athletic director Ray Tanner, his wife Jerri, his sons being on the coaching staff, all of the coaches having at least another year left on their deals, new defensive coordinator Jon Hoke, several junior college players joining the team, the opportunity to win 100 games at two different schools, and thinking that he had a decent team coming back.

[244] Later that day, the University of South Carolina held a press conference, concerning Spurrier's resignation and the appointment of Elliott as interim head coach.

[21] Barrett Sallee of Bleacher Report would later comment that "the biggest reason for South Carolina's success ... was program-defining players inside the Palmetto State who chose to go to the Gamecocks rather than Clemson or other major programs.

Players like Marcus Lattimore, Stephon Gilmore, and Jadeveon Clowney are the exception to high school football in the state of South Carolina, not the rule.

"[251] Of the three traditional powerhouses of the SEC East (Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee), the Volunteers were in a downturn for much of Spurrier's time at South Carolina, while the Bulldogs and Gators had a couple of mediocre seasons.

I'm very appreciative to athletic director Jeremy Foley, head coach Jim McElwain and Phil Pharr of Gator Boosters for their role in making this happen.

[d] In a 2021 fan poll conducted by The State, Spurrier ranked as the third greatest coach of any sport at the University of South Carolina, behind only Dawn Staley and Ray Tanner.

"[199] Similarly, Zach Barnett of FootballScoop has written: "It's unquestionably the best four-year run in South Carolina's football history, and means more in Columbia than one (national) title would in Tuscaloosa.

After tasting success, Gamecock fans are not ready to fade back into mediocrity ... [Spurrier] showed that becoming an elite power in the SEC and in the country is entirely possible at South Carolina.

"[339] By 2019, several media outlets reported that athletic director Ray Tanner and head football coach Will Muschamp had poor job security, attributing this to the program not meeting the new expectations.

[355] Several South Carolina football traditions that began in the Spurrier era persist today, including Sir Big Spur,[i] "Sandstorm",[358] white rally towels,[27] and the "Welcome to Williams–Brice" pregame video.