TCU Football Loses Another Coach to South Carolina

TCU is losing another key piece on the offensive staff, and this one’s headed to Columbia. Offensive line coach Randy Clements is expected to join South Carolina, where he’ll reunite with former TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles under Shane Beamer. That makes two Horned Frog assistants headed east in less than a week.

Clements has been around the block. He’s coached just about everywhere, with previous stops at Baylor, Florida State, Ole Miss, Houston, and North Texas before landing in Fort Worth. He brought a steady hand to the offensive line and was part of the staff that tried to stabilize the trenches after some real inconsistency following TCU’s 2022 playoff run.

Now he’s off to the SEC, where South Carolina is trying to completely reboot an offense that struggled to protect the quarterback all season. Briles is expected to bring tempo and spread principles to Columbia, and it makes sense that he’d want someone he trusts handling the line. Clements checks that box, and for the Gamecocks, it’s a move that feels like a no-brainer.

For TCU, this is another hit to an offensive staff that’s already seen change. Losing Briles was expected. Losing Clements right after adds a little more weight. It means whoever steps in as the new play-caller will also need to assist in bringing in a new offensive line coach or reshuffling internally. Either way, it creates more transition than you’d want heading into the heart of portal season.

It’s also something Sonny Dykes has to navigate carefully. Offensive line play was already an area of concern, and now with Clements gone, there’s not just a personnel gap but a continuity gap too. TCU has been recruiting the line hard, and staff changes like this can sometimes shift how things shake out with targets or current commits.

In the big picture, this is part of what happens when assistants get opportunities and programs like South Carolina go hunting for proven experience. But for TCU, this isn’t nothing. Clements was a steady voice in the room, and now they’re starting over again in a spot where development and chemistry matter more than most.