Shane Beamer filled a number of positions on his staff this off season, filling the roles with coaches who bring experience to their new roles with the Gamecocks with new additions in Kendal Briles (OC), Deion Barnes (DEs / OLBs), and Randy Clements (OL) as just a few examples that immediately come to mind.
The State points out that Beamer is continuing that trend with a hire on the defensive side of the ball.
Dre Bly, who has a few years of coaching experience spanning the NFL, Power Four as well as a Group of Six stop, is set to join the South Carolina staff, the report adds.
After a standout career in the NFL that lasted over a decade with stops with the Rams, Lions, Broncos and 49ers, Bly joined the coaching ranks in 2019 at his alma mater by joining the North Carolina staff upon Mack Brown's return to the lead the program in 2019.
He spent four seasons coaching the Tar Heels corners before leaving to join the Detroit Lions staff a their corners coach the for the 2023 season.
2024 marked a return to college football for the former multiple-time Pro Bowl selection, as a defensive analyst on staff at Charlotte.
He returned to the NFL in 2025 as the assistant defensive backs coach for Aaron Glenn and the New York Jets, in a season where the Jets struggled mightily all season as the franchise went the entire season without record an interception, becoming the first team in NFL history to record that designation.
Before joining the coaching ranks, Bly starred at defensive back at UNC and was a three-time selection to the All-ACC First team (1996, 1997, 1998), and was a first-team All-American his senior season, holding the ACC record for career interceptions with 20, before becoming a second-round selection in the 1999 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams. Bly would go on to capture a Super Bowl title in his rookie season with the Rams organization.
After over a decade in the league, Bly recorded nearly 500 tackles from his corner spot, forced 20 fumbles and recorded 43 interceptions while earning All-Pro honors during his first season with the Detroit Lions in 2003.
In 2014, Bly was elected into the College Football Hall of Fame.
He joins new faces on South Carolina's defense staff that includes Deion Barnes (who mentored 21 All Big-Ten selections at Penn State), while defensive coordinator Clayton White returns for another season running the defense.
Stay tuned to The Scoop for the latest.