Several former South Carolina football players have made coaching moves within the Palmetto State this offseason. On Friday, a Midlands program announced that a former Gamecock standout was taking over for the 2026 season.
According to an announcement from the school’s athletic department, AC Flora High School has officially hired former USC defender Willie Offord as head coach. Offord comes to the Falcons from Lakewood High School. At AC Flora, he replaces Ken Floyd, who spent four seasons leading the program. Flora won 11 games in 2025 and made a postseason run.
Previously, Offord made head coaching stops at North Marion High School, Palatka High School, Interlachen School, and Paxon School in Florida (he led North Marion to a state title appearance) and Columbia High School in the Palmetto State. He also had several stints in the state as an assistant and coached at Newberry College for a season, as well.
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During his South Carolina football career, Offord played for head coaches Brad Scott and Lou Holtz. He played multiple roles for the Gamecocks, seeing significant action at both safety spots, outside linebacker, and the hybrid “spur” position. He helped the Gamecocks to one of the top single-season turnarounds in college football history. USC moved from 0 wins in 1999 to eight wins in 2000.
Offord was a big hitter who made his presence felt on the field. He logged nearly 200 tackles as a multi-year starter and earned some All-SEC recognition as a senior. The Minnesota Vikings selected Offord in the third round of the 2002 NFL Draft.
In the NFL, he started seven games and picked off two passes for the Vikings. Offord spent five years in the league but retired in 2007 after major injuries in 2005 and 2006.