Texas A&M Football: SEC Rival Hires Former Aggie Staffer

Former Texas A&M Football Offensive Staffer James Coley Hired by South Carolina

James Coley, who has been an assistant with Texas A&M football for the past few years, is headed to Columbia, South Carolina to join Shane Beamer's Gamecocks staff. Coley was the longest-tenured assistant for Jimbo Fisher's final staff with the Aggies outside of Elijah Robinson, having joined the Aggies in 2020.

In his time with the Aggies, Coley oversaw both the receivers and the tight ends. Under his tutelage, there was hope that the Aggie receivers would experience a renaissance in 2022 after seemingly being less prominent than they should've been over the past few years.

While 2022 did see some nice receiver play at times, though, Coley's influence wasn't enough to build the high-flying, downfield passing attack that Jimbo was envisioning at the beginning of the year. The loss to App State and switch to Max Johnson precipitated a regression to a much more conservative style that failed the Aggies time and again over the course of that season.

Coley returned to coaching the tight end position in the 2023 season. This was the one offensive position that was consistently well-developed over Jimbo's tenure with the Aggies (late-stage Jalen Wydermyer notwithstanding), but the loss of Donovan Green meant the group as a whole took a bit of a step back as compared to previous years.

Nevertheless, Coley was likely the most valuable offensive coach on staff for the Aggies due to his combination of recruiting prowess and coaching ability—most of the offensive staff for Jimbo had the former but not the latter. He showed his tactical ability in his creative playcalling in the bowl game, and was one of the main reasons for an increased Aggie presence in the South Florida recruiting scene. The Gamecocks, who have struggled in recruiting that area compared to their power program neighbors, will be grateful for what he brings to the table in that respect.