Rick Trickett is the longest active tenured coach on Jax State's staff, entering his fourth season as the Gamecocks’ Offensive Line Coach. Originally brought aboard by Rich Rodriguez before the 2022 season, Trickett was retained by Charles Kelly and elevated to Associate Head Coach.
One of the most decorated coaches in his profession, Trickett has been developing offensive linemen for success in college football and preparing them for the next level for over 45 years.
His debut season in charge of the Gamecock offensive line produced immediate results. The Gamecocks put together a 9-2 record that included a perfect 5-0 mark in ASUN Conference play and the conference title at seasons end.
The Gamecock offense was a big reason for that success, and the offensive front paved the way for the fifth-best rushing offense and the 10th-best scoring offense in the nation. Center Treylen Brown was a First-Team All-ASUN Conference selection after moving from guard in the first game and anchoring the line the rest of the season.
In 2023, the Gamecocks had a pair of Second-Team All-Conference USA linemen in Treylen Brown and Clay Webb, along with a third earning honorable mention status in Will O’Steen after clearing the way for a rushing attack that was third nationally in yards per game at 236.7. His 2024 squad paved the way for Jax State to rank third in FBS with 251.2 rushing yards per game on the way to the program's first Conference USA title.
Trickett brings decades of experience with some of college football’s top programs. Trickett has been coaching collegiately since 1976, when he started his career as an assistant at West Virginia. He Coached the Mountaineers offensive line until 1979, when he went to Southern Illinois for the next two seasons. Over the past 47 years, Trickett has also coached the offensive lines at Southern Miss (1982-84), New Mexico (1985), Memphis (1986-88), Mississippi State (1989-92), Auburn (1993-98), LSU (2000), West Virginia (2001-06), Florida State (2007-17) and his alma mater Glenville State (1999, 2019-21).
He has served as the Assistant Head Coach at LSU, WVU, FSU and Glenville State, and during his career, more than 35 of his linemen have gone on to play in the NFL and more than 40 have earned all-conference honors. Twice he had all five of his starting linemen earn all-conference honors – at Florida State in 2012 and 2013, while he placed four on all-conference squads at West Virginia in 2005 and again in 2006.
His unit established FSU as one of the top offensive programs in the nation and paved the way for the most prolific offense in the nation in 2013, when FSU set school and ACC records for single-season total offense, points per game, and yards per play as well as the national record for points while leading the nation in touchdowns. The Seminoles ended that season with a 14-0 record and captured the BCS National Championship.
