How former Gamecock Jake Bentley is making impact as high school QBs coach in SC

Jake Bentley was looking for an opportunity to return to his home state. He found that chance in Rock Hill.

After a four-year career at quarterback for the University of South Carolina, the Duncan native spent the final two years of his collegiate career at Utah and South Alabama.

Following his playing career, Bentley spent two years at assistant coaching positions at Florida Atlantic University and North Alabama.

Bentley, now 26 years old, is back in the Palmetto State, taking a job as a physical education teacher at Rock Hill High School and serving as the quarterbacks coach and co-offensive coordinator for a Bearcats team that is replacing a four-year starter at the position in Matthew Wilson.

Rock Hill this spring has been rotating rising junior Kason Canupp and rising senior Ian Grissom at quarterback.

“The biggest thing that I learned through my college experience, you’ve got to coach the player, not the position,” Bentley said. “I’ve got to find creative ways to teach those guys a little different.

“Ian has more playing time, but at this level, got to catch him up there. Kason is just getting more reps under his belt. ... It’s two different starting points for them, but it’s been great to work with them.”

Bentley found out about the job from his brother Shuler. He reached out to first-year Rock Hill head coach Randy Birch about the position and landed the opportunity.

After a six-year collegiate career with more than 10,000 passing yards and 78 passing touchdowns, Bentley plans to use his experience to help coach players on and off the field.

“At the end of the day, football is football, and that’s the beauty of it,” Bentley said. “Regardless if you’re playing middle school or college ball, concepts are concepts, and fundamentals should be all the same. It should be taught the same. The biggest thing I try is, through my playing experience and coaching, is try to give examples of things that I’ve been through and just trying to use that to pour into those guys and help them in some way.”

Bentley’s father is legendary football coach Bobby Bentley, who won four straight football state titles in South Carolina with James F. Byrnes High School from 2002-05.

Birch said that Jake Bentley being around that level of coaching for his entire life has a positive effect on his coaching ability. Birch has already seen it manifest.

In the few weeks of Bentley being with the team, Birch said he’s seen Canupp and Grissom improve in their knowledge of the system and execution of the offense.

“I think quarterback is definitely the most important position on the field, regardless of what level of football you’re at ... ,” Birch said. “It’s one of those positions that you’d really like to have somebody that’s had some real-life experience at it, so they can coach it through their eyes what they’ve seen. So that part was big.”

Bentley said he’s excited to see how the team’s quarterback room improves during the summer. He hopes those training sessions will allow each player’s strengths to outshine their weaknesses.

“I just want to see these guys compete, lead their team as they go in these 7-on-7s and things,” Bentley said. “Just to see them kind of rally their teammates and find ways to win games. I know it’s not real football, but at the same time, the scoreboard is all we want to win. And that’s what we’re going to try to do this summer.”