COLUMBIA — South Carolina football defensive line coach Travian Robertson is recovering from a serious car accident and will not be with the team for the season opener.
Robertson, 36, is still hospitalized after a car crash that killed the other driver on Aug. 22. The Gamecocks face Virginia Tech in Atlanta on Aug. 31 (3 p.m. ET, ESPN) and coach Shane Beamer announced Aug. 27 that he won’t be there.
“Truthfully, he’s very lucky to be alive,” Beamer said. “He will be back soon. I’ve seen him since the wreck and he’s eager to get back out here and we’ll be as soon as possible. Everyone knows what this place means to him and how much it hurts him not to be here with us right now, but his health is the primary thing and he had some pretty serious stuff happened to him in that wreck.”
There were no details released about Robertson’s injuries. Beamer said Jordan Dove will essentially shift from assistant to main defensive line coach in Robertson’s absence.
The other driver was identified as Kelly M. Johnson, 35, of Columbia, according to Richland County coroner Naida Rutherford.
“We will continue working with the South Carolina Highway Patrol to fully investigate this collision,” Rutherford stated in the news release.
The crash happened at about 5:45 a.m. on U.S. 76 in Richland County according to S.C. Highway Patrol Master Trooper Mitchell Ridgeway. Johnson was traveling west on U.S. 76 in a 2014 Nissan Pathfinder, and Robertson was driving east in a 2024 Chevrolet Tahoe, according to Ridgeway. The wreck happened after the Nissan Pathfinder crossed the center line and collided head-on with the Tahoe, Highway Patrol said, and Johnson died at the scene.
On the night of the accident, Beamer released a statement via email, saying “Travian Robertson was involved in a car accident this morning. He is currently in the hospital in stable condition. We expect him to make a full recovery and be back out on the field soon. Please keep the families of those involved in the accident in your prayers and respect the Robertson family’s privacy during this time.”
Robertson is in his third year on South Carolina’s coaching staff. He played for the Gamecocks from 2007-11 under Steve Spurrier and was drafted into the NFL in 2012. He played for the Atlanta Falcons, Seattle Seahawks and Washington Commanders from 2012-14.
He got into coaching as a graduate assistant at Georgia State in 2017 then worked as a defensive line coach at Albany State in 2018, Georgia State in 2018 before getting hired at his alma mater in May 2023.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

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