University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer has selected Montario Hardesty to serve as the Gamecocks' running backs coach, it was announced today.

"First off, Coach Hardesty is a fantastic person," said Coach Beamer. "He was a great player in college and played in the NFL. So many coaches I talked to referred to him as a 'future star' in the coaching profession. He's an excellent recruiter with connections in North Carolina and up and down the East Coast. He had multiple position coaches himself as a player, so he will relate in a great way with our running backs," continued Coach Beamer. "I love his journey as a coach – the places he's been and the roles he's had."

Hardesty, a former NFL player, comes to Columbia after spending the past two seasons as part of the Charlotte football coaching staff, working under head coach Will Healy as the 49ers' wide receivers coach.

In his first season with the 49ers, he helped Charlotte to an historic season that included school records for wins (7), C-USA wins (5) and winning streak (5 games) and included a trip to the program's first bowl game, the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl.

Charlotte set a school record for passing TDs (24) and a school FBS record for passing yards (2,749), thanks to a receiving corps that included honorable mention all-C-USA choice Victor Tucker. Tucker had five 100-yard receiving games and ranked sixth in the league in receiving yards per game and second in receiving touchdowns.

Hardesty spent the 2018 season as an offensive quality control coach at his alma mater, Tennessee. In 2017, he was an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Florida Atlantic, working for his former college coach, Lane Kiffin. He also spent two years as running backs coach and special teams coordinator at Norfolk State (2015-16).

Hardesty got his coaching start at Chowan University, where he served as an intern in 2014 under the NFL Players Association internship program before joining the staff at Norfolk State.

Hardesty played running back while earning his bachelor's degree in sports management from Tennessee, graduating in 2009. He earned second team all-SEC honors as a senior when he ranked fourth in the league in rushing with 1,345 yards, the fourth-most in school history, and scored 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 2,391 yards, ninth in Vols' history, and scored 27 touchdowns during his career on Rocky Top.

Hardesty was a second-round pick by the Cleveland Browns in the 2010 NFL Draft. In his first preseason game, he suffered a torn ACL and was sidelined the entire season. He played in 23 games with the Browns during the 2011 and 2012 seasons, totaling 153 carries for 537 yards, and 16 receptions for 138 yards. He was placed on injured reserve in 2013 following arthroscopic knee surgery, and was released later that year.

A native of New Bern, N.C., Hardesty was born Feb. 1, 1987. As a senior at New Bern High School in 2004, he rushed for 2,002 yards and had 19 rushing touchdowns.
 
SOUTH CAROLINA FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF (Feb. 3, 2021)
Shane Beamer, Head Coach
Greg Adkins, Offensive Line Coach
Torrian Gray, Defensive Backs Coach
Montario Hardesty, Running Backs Coach
Erik Kimrey, Tight Ends Coach
Pete Lembo, Associate Head Coach/Special Teams Coordinator 
Jimmy Lindsey, Defensive Line Coach
Mike Peterson, Outside Linebackers/Defensive Ends Coach
Marcus Satterfield, Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks Coach
Justin Stepp, Wide Receivers Coach
Clayton White, Defensive Coordinator/Inside Linebackers Coach