These two South Carolina assistant coaches rank among best in SEC, report says

Two South Carolina football assistant coaches are among the best in the Southeastern Conference, according to one national publication. 247Sports released its first-ever preseason All-SEC coaching staff for 2023 and named Gamecocks special teams coach Pete Lembo and defensive backs coach Torrian Gray to the publication’s first-team list. To make the coach selections, 247Sports says it used a formula and grading system from Matrix Analytical Solutions that’s similar to what Pro Football Focus uses to grade players. According to 247Sports: “Position coaches are ‘graded on the cumulative play-by-play effectiveness of their unit.’ Coordinators are graded on per-play efficiency. Head coaches are ‘graded on their win and loss records broken down and weighted by difficulty/importance in nine distinct categories ranging from expected close margin games to how they perform in games with equivalent talent profiles.” Coaches must have four years of experience to be on the list, and grades are only for on-field results (and not related to recruiting value). Lembo earned an 82.54 ranking, or 4.5 stars, from the 247Sports’ formula, as a first-team special teams coordinator in the SEC. The former Ball State and Elon head coach raised the Gamecocks’ unit to national prominence along with Shane Beamer. USC ranked No. 1 last season in ESPN’s special teams efficiency ranking. The Gamecocks in 2022 were fourth nationally in punt returns, fifth in kickoff returns and seventh in net punting. USC punter Kai Kroeger was first-team All-SEC and named to All-American teams by ESPN.com and The Athletic. Lembo was a finalist for Broyles Award for Assistant Coach of the Year and also was Phil Steele’s Special Teams Coach of the Year. Gray earned an 80.45 ranking, or 4.5 stars. He has coached in the NFL and in college during his 11 seasons in the business. Two of his USC players, Cam Smith and Darius Rush, were taken in this year’s NFL Draft. In 2021 under Gray, the Gamecocks gave up 180.8 yards per game through the air, the lowest total since 2011. USC was first in the SEC and seventh in the nation in passing yards allowed per game that season. The Gamecocks intercepted 15 passes, tying for second in the SEC lead and tied for 14th in the country. Jaylan Foster earned All-American honors in 2021. Alabama’s Nick Saban was 247Sports’ first-team head coach, and Georgia’s Kirby Smart on the second team. Former USC head coach Will Muschamp, who is now at Georgia, was named second-team defensive backs coach. South Carolina associate head coach Pete Lembo speaks with running back Mario Anderson (24) during the Gamecocks’ practice in Columbia on Thursday, March 23, 2023. South Carolina associate head coach Pete Lembo speaks with running back Mario Anderson (24) during the Gamecocks’ practice in Columbia on Thursday, March 23, 2023. Sam Wolfe Special To The State