In a major announcement on Wednesday, Nation Ford High School has named former South Carolina quarterback Jake Bentley as its new head football coach. The Fort Mill-based school, which opened its doors in 2007, has seen just two other head coaches in its history, making Bentley the program’s third-ever leader. He comes to Nation Ford from Rock Hill High School, where he served as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator.
Bentley inherits a program in need of a major turnaround. The Falcons have struggled in recent years, with no winning season in the past five years and no more than six wins in any season since 2016. After the 2024 season, MaxPreps ranked Nation Ford 43rd out of 54 5A programs in South Carolina. Bentley follows Michael Allen, the previous head coach, and Jason McManus, who served as the interim head coach.
Coaching runs in Bentley’s family. His father, Bobby Bentley, is a well-known figure in South Carolina high school football, having led the Byrnes Rebels to an incredible four consecutive state championships from 2002 to 2005.
Before beginning his high school coaching career, Jake Bentley had a brief stint in college coaching. After finishing his playing career, he spent one year as an off-field analyst at Florida Atlantic and another year as the quarterbacks coach at North Alabama.
Bentley’s football career at South Carolina was impressive. Despite battling injuries and a partial redshirt season, he ranks 4th all-time in Gamecock history with 7,527 passing yards. His 55 passing touchdowns and 63 total touchdowns both place him 3rd on USC’s all-time list. He also set a Carolina record with 510 passing yards against Clemson in 2018. Like current quarterback LaNorris Sellers, Bentley is one of only eight Gamecocks to throw for five touchdowns in a single game.
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South Carolina Secures Tough, Battle-Tested Transfer Portal O-Lineman
On Monday, South Carolina football secured its third transfer portal offensive lineman of the offseason with the commitment and signing of Boaz Stanley, a 12-game starter at Troy this past season.
Stanley, a junior college All-American at Georgia Military in 2022, was sidelined for much of the 2023 season due to injury. However, in 2024, he emerged as a starter for Troy, contributing significantly at both center and right tackle.
In his first year at the FBS level, Stanley allowed only two sacks and committed no penalties in nearly 800 snaps. Although somewhat overlooked in rankings, the 6’4”, 310-pound lineman is a valuable addition.
Stanley, a native of Georgia, is versatile enough to play any position on the offensive line for South Carolina, and his adaptability could lead to competition for multiple starting spots. Given the players the Gamecocks have pursued in the portal, it is likely he will initially play on the interior of the offensive line.
Stanley has two or three years of eligibility remaining, depending on how the NCAA handles former junior college players in the future.
South Carolina’s offensive line had an inconsistent 2024 season, though it showed improvement as the year progressed. The Gamecocks will lose their three interior starters (Vershon Lee, Torricelli Simpkins, and Kamaar Bell) to graduation.
Stanley becomes South Carolina’s ninth transfer portal commitment this cycle. He joins fellow offensive linemen Nick Sharpe (Wake Forest) and Rodney Newsom (Western Kentucky), defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy (Texas A&M), linebacker Shawn Murphy (Florida State), tight end Jordan Dingle (Kentucky), EDGE Jaylen Brown (Missouri), defensive back Myles Norwood (Ball State), and quarterback Air Noland (Ohio State).
With Stanley’s commitment, the Gamecocks have successfully met their goal of adding three offensive linemen during this portal cycle.
