South Carolina Hires New Special Teams Coach

Matthew Smiley to replace Joe DeCamillis, who left for Las Vegas Raiders

Published on Mar. 1, 2026

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South Carolina football is expected to hire Matthew Smiley as its new special teams coordinator, replacing Joe DeCamillis who was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders. Smiley will take over the Gamecocks' special teams unit after DeCamillis spent two seasons in that role.

Why it matters

Special teams play a critical role in college football, and the Gamecocks will look to Smiley to maintain and potentially improve their special teams performance after DeCamillis' departure for the NFL.

The details

According to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel, South Carolina is set to hire Matthew Smiley as its new special teams coordinator. Smiley will replace Joe DeCamillis, who was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders on February 16 after two seasons with the Gamecocks.

  • On February 16, Joe DeCamillis was hired by the Las Vegas Raiders.
  • On February 20, the report from ESPN's Pete Thamel about South Carolina hiring Matthew Smiley was published.

The players

Matthew Smiley

The expected new special teams coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team.

Joe DeCamillis

The former special teams coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks, who was recently hired by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Pete Thamel

An ESPN reporter who broke the news about South Carolina's expected hire of Matthew Smiley as special teams coordinator.

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What they’re saying

“South Carolina football is expected to hire Matthew Smiley as its special teams coordinator, according to a report from ESPN's Pete Thamel on Feb. 20.”

— Pete Thamel, ESPN Reporter (ESPN)

The takeaway

The Gamecocks will look to Smiley to maintain and potentially improve their special teams performance after the departure of DeCamillis, who had been in that role for the past two seasons.