Luke Doty reacts to Mike Bobo hire, ready to meet new coordinator
South Carolina football has seen some shifts in its offensive staff the past few weeks, from offensive coordinator Bryan McClendon being demoted and quarterbacks coach Dan Werner being relieved of his position to former Georgia assistant and Colorado State head coach Mike Bobo being set to officially take the job on Tuesday.
Four-star quarterback commit Luke Doty is a person who stood to be impacted through the uncertainty between those first two happenings and the second. He was set to play in McClendon’s offense and be coached directly by Werner.
But reached Monday, hours after the school all but announced Bobo’s impending hire, Doty was upbeat and ready to go.
“It’s definitely cool to see,” Doty said of the hire. “I don’t know too much about coach Bobo, but I definitely look forward to meeting him soon. And, you know, just starting to build a relationship with him so that when I get there in January, I can dive right into the system, and just start learning under him. I can’t wait.”
Doty said he’d looked in a little at Bobo’s offense at Colorado State offense, but he’s relatively early in that process. He did notice a high-tempo offense and a lot of scoring.
Will Muschamp is set for an in-home visit with Doty on Tuesday, and considering Bobo’s deal will be approved at a 2 p.m. meeting, it’s a good bet Bobo will be there as well on the visit.
“He seems like a great guy, great coach,” Doty said. “And, again, I just can’t wait to start learning from him.”
The 6-foot-1, 193-pound passer is the No. 65 player in the country in the 247 Sports composite rankings. He’s the No. 3 dual-threat passer and No. 2 player in the state.
Doty carved out a decorated career at one of the most successful programs in South Carolina. As a sophomore, he played some quarterback early but also helped at wide receiver, catching 35 passes for 391 yards and five scores (he also ran for 250 yards and threw for more than 700).
He blossomed as a junior, leading the Seahawks to a state title and throwing for 3,037 yards, 36 touchdowns and six interceptions, plus more than 700 yards on the ground. He committed to USC before that season and finished it a champion on the Williams-Brice Stadium field.
He had his team poised for another title in 2019, but a hand injury knocked the Mr. Football finalist out for the final four games of the playoffs. His team reached the state finals but fell to Wren on Saturday. In less than 11 games, he threw for 1,874 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions, with 408 rushing yards and four touchdowns, often not playing late in blowouts.
Doty is set to enroll at USC in early January. He said his hand is doing well after the procedure that ended his high school season prematurely. He started physical therapy on Monday and said the early progress has been good.
Werner had built a strong bond with Doty, as well as 2019 starter Ryan Hilinski and his family, but Doty said he accepted those kinds of changes are part of the sport.
“I know pretty well that college football’s a business,” Doty said. “It’s always changing and that’s always gonna be that way. So yeah, for sure it was a little bit of certainty at first, just because didn’t know who’s coming in and didn’t quite know what was going on. But in the end ... again it’s a business, and my family and I understand that.
“We’re just happy they they found their guy”
This story was originally published December 9, 2019 at 7:28 PM with the headline "Luke Doty reacts to Mike Bobo hire, ready to meet new coordinator."
