UPDATED 4:13 p.m. ET: South Carolina confirmed in a press release that Jeep Hunter will not return as the Gamecocks safeties coach in 2012.
The statement reads that head coach Steve Spurrier “indicated that he felt the team needed a more experienced secondary coach and has decided to go in that direction.” Which direction will be is not immediately known.
“We wish Coach Hunter and his family the very best,” said Coach Spurrier.
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As South Carolina continues to solidify commitments for its Class of 2012, Steve Spurrier now has a self-created vacancy on his coaching staff to fill as well.
According to TheBigSpur.com, safeties coach Jeep Hunter has been fired by Spurrier. Josh Kendall of The State subsequently tweeted that “Hunter was returning from a recruiting trip and in the airport when... Spurrier called to tell him he was fired.”
No reason for the dismissal has been given as of yet. When reached via email, USC media relations director Steve Fink wrote only that “Coach Spurrier has not been available” when asked about Hunter’s status.
As noted by Kendall, Hunter is the fourth on-field Spurrier assistant to depart either voluntarily or involuntarily since the end of the 2011 season.
Hunter just completed his third season with the Gamecocks and his first on the defensive side of the ball. His first two seasons, he was tight ends coach as well as an assistant special teams coordinator.
(Photo credit: South Carolina athletics)
