Justin Stepp on the move, leaving South Carolina football for new job
Justin Stepp’s return to coach in South Carolina lasted three seasons.
The former Pelion High and Furman standout is leaving Shane Beamer’s staff to take a job with Illinois, the Big Ten school announced Thursday evening.
Stepp was an original member of Beamer’s staff when he took over three years ago. Before USC, his stops included Arkansas, SMU and Appalachian State.
He was making $525,000 a year in his latest contract at South Carolina.
He was most recently shifted by Beamer from wide receivers to tight ends coach, a move prompted by USC’s hiring of James Coley as a new assistant. Coley will coach the receivers for the Gamecocks.
Stepp was linked a year ago to the Florida receivers job. He and Florida coach Billy Napier were teammates at Furman and then were assistants at Clemson together.
“If it’s OK, I don’t want to get into all of that,” Stepp said in March. ”I’m happy to be home. That’s a direct result of the players and Coach (Shane) Beamer and the program we’re building. I’m happy here.”
Stepp fought back tears in his introductory press conference in 2021 about what it meant to be back in South Carolina and coaching the team he watched while growing up.
Stepp has built a reputation as a top recruiter. Rivals named him one of the Top 25 recruiters in the country in 2019 after adding four four-star recruits to the Razorbacks’ class. The Razorbacks were the only team to sign four four-star wide receivers in the 2019 class. In Stepp’s four recruiting classes at Arkansas, he brought in seven four-stars recruits.
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSISTANT COACH SALARIES
Clayton White (DC) — $1.2 million
Dowell Loggains (OC) — $1 million
Joe DeCamillis (ST) — $800,000
James Coley (WRs) — $750,000 (average)
Torrian Gray (DBs) — $675,000
Sterling Lucas (DEs/OLBs) — $575,000
Open (TEs) — TBD
Marquel Blackwell (RB) — $487,500 (average)
Travian Robertson (DL) — $400,000
Lonnie Teasley (OL) — $410,000
