Gamecocks set to hire new assistant coach with midlands ties
Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks are set to hire a new assistant coach.
A source tells ABC Columbia Thursday night that Jacksonville Jaguars assistant Lucas Sterling will fill the opening on Beamer’s staff, left by former outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson, who took the same job at Florida.
The news was first reported by Gamecock Central.
Lucas, a native of Orangeburg, worked with South Carolina defensive coordinator Clayton White at NC State from 2013-2015 after he graduated from the school.
South Carolina’s Board of Trustees is expected to approve the hire during a meeting Friday at 2 p.m.
From his Jacksonville Jaguars bio: Lucas joined the Jaguars as an assistant defensive line coach on Feb. 11, 2021 after spending five seasons (2016-20) working with the Baltimore Ravens.
Lucas began his tenure in Baltimore in 2016 and held various roles on the defensive side of the ball until 2020, when Lucas worked with the defensive line under current Jaguars Defensive Coordinator Joe Cullen. While Lucas was in Baltimore (2016-20), the Ravens led the NFL in total defense (314.1 yards per game allowed), allowed the second-fewest rushing yards per game (97.1) and produced the third-most takeaways (126). Lucas worked closely with several Pro Bowl players while in Baltimore, including DL Calais Campbell (2020), OLB Matthew Judon (2019 and 2020) and LB C.J. Mosley (2017 and 2018).
In 2020, Lucas helped the Ravens advance to the AFC Divisional found as their defense allowed the second-fewest points (18.9) and seventh-fewest yards (329.8) per game in the NFL. Lucas was promoted from defensive quality control coach to defensive assistant/linebackers coach in 2019 and assisted with the team’s linebackers, which helped the team allow the NFL’s third-fewest points per game (17.6) and the fourth-fewest yards per game (300.6). Baltimore earned a franchise-best 14-2 record and its second-straight AFC North title.
In 2018, Lucas worked with the NFL’s No. 1 ranked defense (292.2 yards per game allowed), which permitted the league’s second-fewest points per games (17.9). He served as an administrative assistant for the defense in 2017, helping Baltimore post NFL bests in takeaways (34), INTs (22) and shutouts (three). He originally joined the team in 2016 working on the defensive side of the ball, while also assisting the strength and conditioning staff.
Lucas began his coaching career at North Carolina State where he spent 2013 as a graduate assistant in the strength and conditioning department prior to spending 2014-15 as a defensive graduate assistant, with a primary focus on coaching the linebackers and nickelbacks.
Lucas graduated from North Carolina State in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in communications and played linebacker for the Wolfpack from 2008-12, finishing his career with 167 tackles, 4.0 sacks and one INT.
