South Carolina will launch a search for a new athletic director after Ray Tanner announced Friday that he is stepping down.

Tanner, 66, has guided the Gamecocks’ athletic department since 2012 and will stay on until a replacement is hired. The national search for a new AD is set to begin at the end of the fall semester.

He was South Carolina’s baseball coach from 1997-2012, winning College World Series titles in 2010 and 2011.

“For a while now, I have thought there’s going to come a time for Carolina to get a new athletics director, and the president and I have had those conversations,” Tanner said in a statement released by the school. “There was interest for me to remain at the university. I agreed to stay in a new role because of my passion for this university, this city and this state.

“I loved my experience as a baseball coach and as an administrator. I’m grateful to have been able to work here for such a long time.”

Tanner will transition into a new role as senior adviser to school president Michael Amiridis. Tanner’s contract as AD was set to run through June 2026 and his new position as adviser will run through June 2028, according to the school.

Some high-profile hires during Tanner’s tenure included football coaches Shane Beamer and Will Muschamp and men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris.

South Carolina celebrated national championships in women’s basketball under head coach Dawn Staley in 2017, 2022 and 2024. The Gamecocks were undefeated (38-0) in 2023-24.

Tanner was also the baseball coach at his alma mater North Carolina State from 1988-96 and finished with a career record of 1,133-489-3.

–Field Level Media