VanGorder out; Ellis Johnson in as USC's defensive coordinator

COLUMBIA — If you thought South Carolina's 6-6 football season was filled with ups and downs, it was proving to be a mere primer for the off-season. Thursday took that notion to the extreme.

Within a six-hour span, the Gamecocks had stunningly lost their defensive coordinator and, surprise, found another. And, be sure, there were plenty of jaws agape and expletive-laden phrases uttered in those 360 minutes by fans, media and university employees alike.

The soap opera-like series of events started early Thursday morning when recently hired Brian VanGorder went into Steve Spurrier's office and told the coach he was "stuck" and felt drawn to return to the Atlanta Falcons after just three weeks on the job at USC.

It ended early Thursday afternoon when Ellis Johnson, the former Citadel coach, was brought on to replace VanGorder after being initially considered by Spurrier and then hired as Arkansas' defensive coordinator.

"At the end of the day, hopefully everyone's happy," Spurrier said. "Well, Arkansas may not be too happy right now. I think we really got a top-notch defensive coordinator, one of the best in the country. He's really excited to be here."

Much was made of that idea, of wanting to be at USC. Some wondered whether VanGorder - who's now held six jobs in five years - would be loyal to Spurrier and South Carolina.

VanGorder, who will be the Falcons' defensive coordinator under new coach and friend Mike Smith, never signed his contract at USC.

Despite being initially taken aback, Spurrier said he understood VanGorder's decision due to the crazy nature of the coaching profession.

It helped that VanGorder, the former Georgia defensive coordinator, stood to make significantly more by going back to the NFL.

"When you more than double your salary in life, you seldom stay in place. It was a big, big jump," said Spurrier, who added later he's beyond thinking about money in his own coaching career. "We wish him and his family the best, we really do."

That pleasantry aside, Spurrier said he's glad he got Johnson, a 55-year-old Winnsboro native, in the end.

Spurrier interviewed Johnson in mid-December for the coordinator opening after Tyrone Nix wasn't retained and took a job at Ole Miss.

"You might say why didn't I hire him the first time? The answer is, I should have," Spurrier said. "Sometimes we make mistakes. Sometimes they work themselves out. I think we're happy the way it's worked out for Brian VanGorder, for Ellis Johnson and for us."

After learning of VanGorder's decision, Spurrier called new

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and asked permission to speak with Johnson. Spurrier and Johnson spoke two or three different times, eventually agreeing on a deal in principle.

Johnson admitted he didn't wake up Thursday thinking he'd hear Spurrier's voice on the line.

"I was really happy when he called this morning. It was probably the last thing on my mind when I got up," Johnson said. "Nothing in this business surprises me after 32 years. ... But it was unusual."

Illustrating the wackiness of it all, Johnson literally didn't know where his family was Thursday afternoon. He said he'd initially have to herd everyone back to Starkville, Miss., where he'd previously coached at Mississippi State for four seasons, and then to South Carolina.

Johnson agreed to, but never signed, a three-year deal at

Arkansas worth $350,000 a season. He'll likely make a bit more at USC, although terms were not immediately made known.

Even when Johnson joined Petrino on Jan. 4, he made it obvious that he had a soft spot for South Carolina. That same spot made Thursday's decision all the more easy.

"That was home," Johnson told reporters that day. "I would've liked to have gone there for many personal reasons."

Johnson's wife, Caroline, is from Columbia and has long expressed a desire to return home.

Johnson is a 1975 graduate of The Citadel who was the Bulldogs' head coach from 2001-03. At the time, the 6-6 finish in 2003 was the school's best season in a half-dozen years.

From there, he worked with Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State. This past year, Johnson's unit finished 28th in the country and fifth in the SEC in total defense (341.7 yards a game). It was 48th and eighth in the league in scoring defense (24.9 points a game).