South Carolina football and coach Shane Beamer finally have their receivers coach — their third of the offseason.

The Gamecocks introduced new receivers coach Mike Furrey on Friday. He replaces James Coley, who was introduced in January but left for the same job at Georgia last week. Coley replaced Justin Stepp initially, whom Beamer moved to tight ends coach before Stepp took the receivers coach opening at Illinois.

Beamer make a bold statement Friday in support of Furrey, the former head coach at Division II Limestone in 2022 and 2023.

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“I didn’t think we’d be here again introducing a wide receivers coach," Beamer told reporters on Friday. "It is what it is. The previous receivers coach made a decision that he felt was best for his family. We collected the $450,000 and then some that we were owed for violating or leaving his contract.

"It allowed us to go out and hire an even better wide receivers coach in my mind. That’s not a knock on anybody. That’s what I feel about this guy right here.”

Furrey, a seven-year NFL veteran who caught 98 passes for 1,086 yards with six touchdowns for the Detroit Lions in 2006, has also served as the receivers coach for the Chicago Bears (2018-21) and Marshall (2013-15).

Beamer then doubled down on Furrey being a better fit than Coley, also noting the former wasn't interviewed during the coaching search that resulted in Coley's hiring.

"The first time around, didn't talk to him, just because I knew kind of what I wanted to do with the position," Beamer said. "With some of the staff shuffling that I did after the season. That is what I did previously. Now that we had an actual search for a wide receivers coach, it was a great opportunity to bring someone in who was better."

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Furrey has an interesting history as a player, starting his career as a walk-on at Ohio State before transferring to Northern Iowa, where he blossomed into a three-time All-America selection. He went undrafted in 2000 but carved out a successful NFL career after playing a season in the XFL and two seasons in the Arena Football League.

“I want people that want to be here," Beamer said. "If guys get opportunities to advance their careers like Pete (Lembo) and Jody (Wright) did, great. If a guy gets an opportunity that he thinks is better for his family, in this instance, I don’t have to like it, don’t have to agree with it, it’s disappointing.

"But it’s immediately: Who can I go hire now that wants to help us bring a championship to South Carolina? If a guy doesn’t want to be here and do that with us, then get the heck out of here and let me go bring somebody in here that wants to fight his butt off and compete his butt off and go bring a championship to Columbia, South Carolina.”

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Shane Beamer: South Carolina WR coach Mike Furrey better than James Coley