South Carolina football has made some changes to its staff, announcing the hiring of former Texas A&M offensive coordinator James Coley as the wide receivers coach.

South Carolina also announced running backs coach Montario Hardesty is no longer with the program.

The Gamecocks also have one vacant position after tight ends coach Jody Wright was named coach at Murray State on Jan. 10.

Coley spent the last four years at Texas A&M. He joined Jimbo Fisher's staff in 2020 as a tight ends coach and was promoted to a co-offensive coordinator role for the 2023 season. He's also regarded as one of the nation's best recruiters.

Coley's resume includes stints as an offensive coordinator at Miami (Florida), Florida State and Georgia. Coley was a graduate assistant for LSU from 2003-04. In 2005-06, he was an offensive assistant for the Miami Dolphins under Nick Saban.

Justin Stepp, who has been the wide receivers coach since 2021, will move to coach tight ends.

Hardesty was hired as part of coach Shane Beamer's original staff in 2021 after coaching wide receivers at Charlotte the two seasons prior. He previously coached running backs and special teams at Norfolk State from 2015-16, then served as assistant strength coach at Florida Atlantic in 2017 and quality control coach at Tennessee in 2018.

Hardesty's departure comes after the Gamecocks fielded the worst run game in the SEC in 2023. South Carolina was the only team in the conference to record fewer than 1,100 rushing yards, averaging less than three yards per carry. Across three seasons under Hardesty, the Gamecocks averaged 113 rushing yards per game.

South Carolina has also seen its top running back enter the transfer portal in each of the last two seasons: Marshawn Lloyd left for Southern California after 2022 and Mario Anderson is headed to Memphis in 2024. The Gamecocks added Arkansas star Raheim Sanders this offseason, but they have signed just two running backs out of high school in three years.

Sterling Lucas, the outside linebackers/defensive ends coach, had his contract extended through 2025.

South Carolina football reporter Emily Adams contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: South Carolina football adds James Coley, drops Montario Hardesty