Elliott Promoted to Interim USC Head Coach

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — Tuesday was a surreal day for Shawn Elliott. Growing up in Camden, Elliott always wanted to coach the University of South Carolina football team, and now he gets his chance. USC announced Tuesday Elliott as the newest head football coach of the Gamecocks. “I’m thrilled to death to lead the University of South Carolina,” Elliott said Tuesday. “I’m extremely excited about the opportunity that we have here.” Now, after serving as an offensive line coach for USC for six seasons, Elliott takes over for that same team he cheered on as a kid. “Growing up in Camden and playing in the backyard, I used to fight them Clemson Tigers with my friends,” said Elliott. But the celebration did not last long Tuesday. Carolina is four days away from a 4 p.m. kickoff with Vanderbilt. A loss puts USC at 0-5 in conference play. “We’ve got one goal in mind,” said Elliott Tuesday. “When I walked in this morning, I said to our staff, ‘Our goal is to win this week, win today, win tomorrow, win the next day and beat Vanderbilt.'” Click the video to watch Mike Gillespie story on Elliott.