The University of South Carolina board of trustees approved contracts for newly hired wide receivers coach James Coley and defensive ends and outside linebackers coach Sterling Lucas during its meeting on Friday.
While the approval of Coley's contract served as the announcement of his hire, Lucas received a pay raise and a contract extension that will keep him in Columbia for another season.
Coley's contract will earn a base salary of $650,000 in 2024 and $850,000 in 2025. He will also have the opportunity to earn up to $65,000 in bonuses if certain performance-based incentives are met, such as winning the SEC Championship Game or the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Coley will serve as the Gamecocks' wide receivers coach beginning this season, a move that will cause Justin Stepp to become the team's tight ends coach, according to a release by Gamecock Athletics. Coley has spent 10 seasons coaching in the SEC, most recently from 2020 to 2023 at Texas A&M, where he coached wide receivers and tight ends and was named a co-offensive coordinator in January 2022.
Under Lucas' new deal, he will stay on South Carolina's staff until 2025 and earn $575,000. Lucas' current contract, which was set to expire at the end of 2024, paid him $475,000 this year.
The South Carolina football team also announced the departures of two coaches from its staff, former tight ends coach Jody Wright and former running backs coach Montario Hardesty. Wright has since been hired to be the head coach at Murray State, while Hardesty is still seeking a new coaching opportunity.