Skip to main content

Spurrier prepping for life after Clowney

By WTOP Staff

PETE IACOBELLI
AP Sports Writer

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Steve Spurrier believes the South Carolina Gamecocks have more success ahead, even without recent No. 1 NFL draft pick Jadeveon Clowney.

The 69-year-old Spurrier acknowledged he wasn’t sure how long he’d coach South Carolina when he returned to college football in November 2004. Instead, Spurrier’s prepping for his 10th season while overseeing the greatest run in Gamecock history.

Spurrier is the school’s all-time leader in coaching victories. He’s won the program’s lone Southeastern Conference Eastern Division title in 2010 and his teams have gone 42-11 the past four years, ranking only behind SEC powerhouses LSU and Alabama for most wins in that stretch.

“Age isn’t that big a deal, it’s more about your health,” Spurrier told The Associated Press. “I read something that said Hillary (Clinton) would be 69 if she won the election. So it’s about how you feel and I feel pretty good.”

Spurrier’s also confident that his team is still on the rise, despite defensive end Clowney foregoing his senior season for the Houston Texans.

“I don’t know why people think this is the end of something,” Spurrier said. “We’ve got a team that has a chance to be okay.”

Success at South Carolina did not come easily for Spurrier, who went just 35-27 his first five seasons. But Spurrier and his assistants began to mine a talented ore of home-grown high school players like cornerback Stephon Gilmore, receiver Alshon Jeffery, tailback Marcus Lattimore and Clowney — and the rise began.

Those players all excelled at South Carolina, each one leaving early for the NFL. Gilmore was taken in the first round by Buffalo in 2012 while Jeffery was chosen in the second by Chicago. The injured Lattimore was selected in the fourth round a year later by San Francisco while Clowney topped them all with his showing a week ago.

“That says a lot about what we’ve done,” Spurrier said.

It also gave South Carolina a solid platform to attract more top players and make a run at the title Spurrier covets most — an SEC championship.

“That’s something we haven’t done yet,” he said. “But we’ll try and see if we can get that done.”

The coach understands why some might think the defense will take a step back after losing Clowney, defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles and cornerback Victor Hampton, all who left for the pros after their junior seasons. In all, South Carolina will be without five defensive starters — defensive end Chaz Sutton and cornerback Jimmy Legree were both seniors in 2013 — from last year’s group.

Spurrier said cornerback will be a critical spot come fall camp and is looking forward to four recruits in Wesley Green, D.J. Smith, Chris Lammons and Al Harris pushing the returnees and maybe earning some playing time. At defensive end, sophomores Gerald Dixon and Darius English were atop the depth chart after spring workouts finished last month.

Spurrier liked what he saw of junior college transfer Abu Lamin, a defensive tackle from Fayetteville, North Carolina.

Whoever starts on the end against Texas A&M on August 28th won’t command the spotlight that Clowney had for his three seasons.

“Yeah, it was definitely fun coaching him,” Spurrier said of Clowney. “It was certainly different because he was a guy that didn’t have play but was still out there for us.”

Clowney was headed to the NFL from the moment he stepped on campus, Spurrier said, and he had some people telling him he should’ve sat out his final season to protect his high draft status. Spurrier said the scrutiny on his every move had an effect on Clowney, but he still put in the work to improve.

To some observers, Clowney looked like he was taking it easy after his All-American sophomore season where he had a school record 13 sacks and was the SEC defensive player of the year. Clowney had just three sacks this past season, far off the numbers many projected for him.

“You can watch it on film, I think there were only three or four times he was blocked by one guy,” Spurrier said. “I think those were the times he got his sacks.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
Read Next Story

Related News

Frustration grows in Venezuela as earthquake death toll reaches 1,430

Israel and Lebanon sign framework agreement with US in ‘first step’ toward peace, Rubio says

Trump-endorsed populist poised to become Colombia’s next president as rival challenges vote