Beamer Adds to Support Staff

University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer continues to put together his support staff, adding Taylor Edwards and Drew Hixson to headline the player personnel department and formally identifying Connor Shaw’s role within the program, it was announced today.
 
Taylor Edwards has been named the program’s Director of Player Personnel. He comes to Carolina after serving as the Director of Recruiting Operations at Maryland for the past two seasons where he worked with head coach Mike Locksley. Edwards has been instrumental in helping the Terrapins recruit the 31st-ranked class in 2020, and a top-20 recruiting class in 2021.
 
Prior to his stint at Maryland, Edwards spent one season (2018) as Director of Recruiting at Arkansas, where he worked alongside current Gamecock wide receivers coach Justin Stepp. In his one year in Fayetteville, Edwards helped first-year head coach Chad Morris secure a top-25 recruiting class despite coming off a 2-10 season.
 
Edwards got his start at Jacksonville State as an assistant in personnel and operations in 2013. He left JSU to become the Director of Recruiting at UAB in 2014. He then served as the Director of Player Personnel at Samford before joining Nick Saban’s staff at Alabama in 2017 as a Player Personnel Assistant.
 
A native of Pleasant Grove, Ala., Edwards is a 2011 graduate of the University of Montevallo with a degree in business administration. He earned his master’s degree in sport and fitness administration from Troy University in 2013.

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Drew Hixson will work closely with Edwards as the Assistant Director of Player Personnel. Hixson comes to Carolina from the University of Kansas. He joined the KU football staff in February 2019 as the director of scouting, where he was responsible for identifying and evaluating prospects. He also assisted the recruiting staff in all aspects, including unofficial and official visits.
 
Prior to his arrival in Lawrence, Hixson spent the 2018 season at Virginia working in the football department, assisting with the program’s recruiting efforts and activities.
 
Hixson graduated from Georgia in May of 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in sports management. During his time at Georgia, he spent two years in the football recruiting office, first as a student assistant and then as a volunteer recruiting assistant.
 
A native of Bethlehem, Ga., Hixson married his wife, Charlee, in June 2018.

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Connor Shaw has been given the title of Director of Football Relations. With his expanded responsibilities, he will assume more of a football/recruiting emphasis within the NCAA rules, as well as serving as a liaison with former Gamecock players.
 
In addition, Shaw will continue in his role with player relations, working closely with Derrick Moore, who was recently named Executive Director of Character and Player Development. Shaw, the winningest quarterback in school history, returned to the Carolina football program in January of 2020 as Director of Player Development. In that role, he focused on the student-athlete’s career development, mental health, financial literacy and life skills, while leading the “Beyond Football” program.