Patrick DiMarco almost joined USC staff 9 years ago. Could he return under Beamer?
After announcing his retirement from the NFL on Thursday, former South Carolina football player Patrick DiMarco has plenty of options of what his next move would be.
One of the options might be coming back to his alma mater, something DiMarco didn’t rule out Friday during an interview on the JB and Goldwater Show.
DiMarco was in Columbia earlier this week and took a tour of the Gamecock football facility and met with new coach Shane Beamer. He even was able to sit in an offensive staff meeting.
“They said, ‘All right Pat, the floor is yours so see what you got.’ I said are you interviewing me right now?” DiMarco joked. “... I talked with Shane about some possibilities so we will see if anything comes to fruition. We love Atlanta but we also love Columbia. So if the right situation arose, we would 100 percent up and leave and come back through Columbia, South Carolina, wear that block C and live a life well-lived in Columbia.”
DiMarco said he also has talked with the Atlanta Falcons, where he played seven seasons in the NFL and Georgia Tech. He has also had conversations with Jack Easterby, former chaplain at USC who is now executive vice president of football operations for the Houston Texans.
“There is a lot of stuff going round. I am very new to the coaching and player development world I am trying to pursue,” DiMarco said. “I am grateful for all the people who have reached out to me.
“... I would be dumb to say my heart is not still in the game of football. I’ve played every year of my life since third grade. I’m interested in staying involved in football.”
This isn’t the first time DiMarco has thought about coaching. He told the story about how he was close to becoming a graduate assistant coach for Steve Spurrier at South Carolina. But three days later, the Kansas City Chiefs called and offered him a tryout.
DiMarco was a two-time team captain at South Carolina, playing tight end and fullback over the course of four seasons under Spurrier. He had brief stints with the San Diego Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs before finally catching on with the Atlanta Falcons.
As a member of the Falcons, DiMarco had his finest season in 2015, going to his first Pro Bowl and earning second-team All-Pro honors as he caught 13 passes for 110 yards and two scores. In 2016, he made it to the Super Bowl with Atlanta before losing to the New England Patriots — and one of his former Gamecock teammates in cornerback Stephon Gilmore.
In 2017, DiMarco signed a four-year deal with the Buffalo Bills, where he was once more named a team captain. This past season, he was placed on the injured reserve with a neck injury during training camp.
DiMarco said he has been overwhelmed with the messages and calls he has gotten over the past days from old high school teammates to ones he played with in the NFL.
“I just showed up every day and brought my work pail. I showed up my first year and was star studded,” DiMarco said. “But I love this game. Everything about it. It drove me to be one of the best.”
This story was originally published January 29, 2021 at 3:03 PM with the headline "Patrick DiMarco almost joined USC staff 9 years ago. Could he return under Beamer?."
