In his second season with the Gamecocks, Bobby Bentley is feeling more comfortable as a coach and a dad.
Along with being South Carolina’s running backs coach, Bobby Bentley is the father of starting quarterback Jake Bentley, who is also entering his second season with the team.
“It was probably harder last year knowing that he was lining up and probably wasn’t ready,” Bobby Bentley said. “But this year, it’s a little bit different for me. I’m able to focus on the running backs even more. I feel more comfortable with a year under my belt as a running backs coach here at South Carolina and in the SEC.”
According to Bobby Bentley, the 19-year-old Jake Bentley has always been a more mature athlete and person than his age suggests. That maturity is helping Jake Bentley thrive under the system of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper, who has 14 years of SEC coaching experience and is also entering his second season with the Gamecocks.
“I think him being a year older in the system and especially with the way coach Roper coaches him, he has to know all the protections,” Bobby Bentley said. “He has to know all the blocking schemes to make sure he gets all the checks, so coach Roper puts a lot on him. He’s got to be mature. He wouldn’t be able to handle it.”
Bobby Bentley, a native of Duncan, South Carolina, has deep ties to coaching in the Palmetto State. He served as an assistant coach at James F. Byrnes High School from 1990-94 before being named head coach in 1995. He was named the head football coach at Presbyterian College in 2007, and became the district wide athletic director and public information officer for Spartanburg School District 5 in 2009.
Jake Bentley grew up in a football environment in Duncan, watching his dad coach for the Blue Hose and Rebels. The family moved to Auburn in 2014 when Bobby Bentley became an offensive analyst for Gus Malzahn’s Tigers.
So, how does Bobby Bentley separate the roles of coach and father on the field?
“During practice, I don’t really say much,” Bobby Bentley said. “During the game, I’m probably more of his cheerleader than anything. During practice, I really don’t say much to him. Before practice, I do. I want to make sure I kind of know what he’s thinking on some plays. I kind of ask him just to sort of help me with the running backs too so we’ll know where our read is as far as the progression.”
Jake Bentley isn’t the only quarterback in the Bentley family. Bobby Bentley and his wife, Paulette, have five children, including their son Shuler Bentley, who is the quarterback at Murray State.
“A lot of guys don’t get to have their kids around in college football, like my son Shuler,” Bobby Bentley said. “I’m dealing with him via text message how he’s doing. With Jake, I’m right here with him, so it’s a blessing.”