Steve Spurrier Will Receive a 50 Percent Raise to Coach South Carolina Football in 2011

Steve Spurrier has made great strides since taking over as South Carolina’s head coach, including taking the program to the SEC title game last year.

Even so, yesterday’s announcement of his renegotiated contract—which ESPN notes will pay $2.8 million next season after he made $2 million last year—comes at a tough time for the Gamecocks.

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The school announced on its own sports website that dual-threat QB Stephen Garcia, who had been expected to return to lead the offense, has been suspended for what A.D. Eric Hyman called “behavior that is unacceptable for one of our student-athletes.”

In addition, Spurrier has been trying to deflect some of the hype being directed at an inexperienced squad that does have superstar RB Marcus Lattimore but faces serious questions on the offensive line and in the secondary.

Spurrier told the Anderson Independent Mail, “our team is not near as good as maybe some people think we’re going to be.”

Even if Garcia, who has a long history of disciplinary problems at South Carolina, does not return, the Gamecocks will have weapons. Lattimore and junior wideouts Alshon Jeffery and D.L. Moore all bring explosiveness to the attack.

Spring surprise DeAngelo Smith, a sophomore who posted 3 TDs in the Garnet and Black spring game, should also contribute at WR. Sophomore Connor Shaw, the presumptive QB in Garcia’s absence, looked decent in the spring but has just 33 career attempts in actual games.

Spurrier’s recruiting prowess, which has landed in-state stars like Lattimore and incoming freshman DE Jadeveon Clowney, will probably help him recover from this spring’s setbacks over the life of his contract.

The new contract didn’t include the extension Spurrier had sought, so South Carolina will have to decide in 2014 whether he was worth the extra money.