Connor Shaw talks duties as new Director of Player Development
Connor Shaw was formally introduced Wednesday as South Carolina’s new Director of Player Development.
He replaces a former player that had an equally impressive career in Marcus Lattimore. At the start of the press conference, USC head coach Will Muschamp said that Lattimore is pursuing a psychology degree and has the opportunity to study abroad in Europe.
Shaw comes in as the Gamecocks’ winningest quarterback and plans to use his experience under the spot light to help guide and mentor USC’s student-athletes.
With the growth of social media, Muschamp said he feels like Shaw’s guidance in handling the pressures that came with being a starting quarterback will be particularly valuable.
Shaw noted that times have changed and he’s going to have to adapt to the needs of current players, but there is one area that he said he believes athletes need assistance in regardless the era.
“I’m sure there’s a lot of similarities. One thing that sticks out to me if I go back and try to figure out the challenges I faced and some of the challenges my teammates faced, is just navigating the time,” he said. “Football’s very militant and very scheduled, every hour of each day. And so if they can be efficient in their time, but also understand that there are so many educational programs and, resources at their disposal. So part of my job is to just connect them with whatever’s relevant to their needs.”
Shaw came to South Carolina after a stellar career at Flowery Branch (Ga.) High School, playing for his father, Lee Shaw. As the Gamecock starting quarterback, Shaw led Carolina to a 27-5 record, including a 17-0 record at Williams-Brice Stadium. In his four-year career, Shaw completed 480-of-733 passes (65.5 percent) for 6,074 yards with 56 touchdowns while also rushing for 1,683 yards and 17 scores.
Watch the full press conference below: