Sterling Lucas
South Carolina is expected to lose one of its top assistant coaches.
Gamecocks outside linebackers coach Sterling Lucas is expected to leave for a job at LSU, 247Sports’ Matt Zenitz and GamecockCentral’s Chris Clark reported Friday afternoon.
Lucas has been an integral part of the Gamecocks’ recent defensive success and was a major reason that South Carolina landed transfer edge rusher Kyle Kennard as well as five-star Dylan Stewart in 2023.
Lucas was hired by South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer in January 2022 after spending the previous six years in the NFL — the first five (2016-20) with the Baltimore Ravens and one year (2021) as the Jacksonville Jaguars’ assistant defensive line coach.
Over the past four seasons, Lucas has proven to be an excellent developer of talent. Before arriving at South Carolina, Kennard was a solid pass rusher, with six sacks as a senior for Georgia Tech. In his one and only season with the Gamecocks, Kennard tallied 11.5 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss, winning the Bronco Nagurski Award for college football’s top defensive player.
When Kennard was wdrafted, Bryan Thomas Jr. stepped up as a senior to lead South Carolina with eight sacks.
But beyond Lucas’ development ability was his power to recruit — headlined by a pair of five-stars from the Washington, D.C., area: WR Nyck Harbor and Stewart.
Stewart has totaled 11 sacks and 22.5 tackles for loss across two years and is expected to be a top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft.
If Lucas leaves, though, it’s fair to wonder if that would impact where Stewart — and Harbor, to a lesser extent — plays his junior season given his relationship with the position coach. Stewart and Harbor have yet to publicly make clear their intentions for 2026.
In 2026, Lucas was slated to be one of the Gamecocks’ highest-paid assistant coaches with a salary of $775,000. If he departs South Carolina before the new year, he’ll owe the university $426,250, according to his contract details.
This story was originally published December 19, 2025 at 3:52 PM.
