COLUMBIA, S.C. — Shane Beamer thinks he bought it from his dad. That appears off: Frank Beamer was the great coach, who by no means appeared to get in individuals’s faces.
“He definitely has that chip on his shoulder and did however didn’t present it as outwardly as I’ve,” Shane Beamer mentioned.
Beamer definitely does that: There was an on-field near-fight with Bret Bielema in final season’s bowl recreation. Beamer will get on social media to reply critics and stick up for his workforce. He’ll learn the phrases of disrespect and confront those that wrote them, as he did with me two years in the past on the sphere (it was over together with South Carolina with three weak Georgia nonconference opponents).
Many coaches attempt to keep above the fray. Beamer will get within the fray and battle. It makes him excellent for South Carolina.
This can be a program that does effectively when it has a chip on its shoulder. This can be a program with out the custom and assets of lots of its SEC rivals, one which has to punch above its weight. It wants an edge, and Beamer has introduced that since his arrival 4 years in the past — with good outcomes.
“Everyone has any person who doesn’t imagine in them, and other people take it private. I believe Coach Beamer takes it private,” offensive lineman Cason Henry mentioned. “He sees how nice we might be, he is aware of how nice we might be, he sees it day by day. He doesn’t prefer it when individuals speak unhealthy about us, as a result of he loves this system, he loves us.”
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer reacts on the sideline through the Gamecocks’ bowl recreation towards Illinois in December. (Jeremy Reper / USA As we speak through Imagn Photos)
That’s an enormous a part of why Beamer bought the job — as a result of he wished it, having served as a Gamecocks assistant from 2007-10 below Steve Spurrier, one other coach who wasn’t afraid to name out critics. Beamer, now 48, didn’t have any head teaching expertise however instantly lifted this system to respectability with two successful seasons. Then, after a 5-7 season got here final yr, a 9-4 end as one of many final groups disregarded of the Faculty Soccer Playoff.
That’s good for South Carolina. The trick is sustaining that momentum. However current these two feedback to Beamer, and his forehead furrows. That edge comes out.
“I wouldn’t say maintain for us. It’s taking it farther, you realize, than what we did final season,” Beamer mentioned. “I do know everybody on the skin was shocked by what occurred final season. I don’t really feel that manner. …
“I don’t need it to be a flash within the pan.”
An enormous motive to hope it received’t be is quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
Soccer groups feed off their quarterback, and final yr’s Gamecocks workforce is a main instance. Sellers, a redshirt freshman taking on for Spencer Rattler, emerged as a dynamic twin risk, passing for two,534 yards, speeding for 674 and customarily offering perception to the remainder of the workforce.
The play that stood out probably the most for him got here within the win at Clemson: Trailing 14-10 with simply greater than a minute left, going through third and 16, Sellers scrambled for a 20-yard landing run.
“The play’s by no means over when the ball is in his fingers,” cornerback Jalon Kilgore mentioned. “We’re by no means out of the sport. If it’s shut, we’ve at all times bought an opportunity to win.”
Receivers coach Mike Furrey has been round some time and labored for a lot of groups, from the Chicago Bears to Limestone. When he arrived in Columbia final yr, he couldn’t inform instantly {that a} large season was afoot. However as Sellers began making extra performs, starting with the Week 2 win at Kentucky, Furrey noticed one thing brewing.
“It undoubtedly motivated and inspired our guys as a result of that’s the quarterback spot. Everyone needs a quarterback,” Furrey mentioned. “And to have the ability to look again and say, ‘Hey, we’ve bought a extremely good quarterback who can get us out of issues, we higher play ball too.’ ”
That’s to not put all of it on the quarterback spot: Rattler, now with the New Orleans Saints, was good however didn’t get pleasure from good safety. Sellers was sacked 41 instances however was capable of run his manner out of many extra.
The Gamecocks additionally bought lots higher on protection, going from ninth within the SEC in yards per play in 2023 to fourth in 2024. Edge Kyle Kennard was the SEC Participant of the Yr. He’s gone now, however sophomore edge Dylan Stewart is again, which was a win within the age of the switch portal.
So, when a coach wins, and he’s at South Carolina, do individuals come after his gamers? Sure, Beamer answered with a smile, but it surely was simpler to carry on to them after final season than after going 5-7.
“Gamers need to win. Gamers need to be part of a powerful tradition, which now we have right here,” he mentioned. “And I believe we proved that after 2023 that we had a powerful tradition. You realize, we misplaced a few guys within the portal, however you realize what? The majority of our workforce stayed. Those that we wanted to maintain, we stored after 2023, and those that we labored to maintain, we stored after the 2023 season.
“(After) 2024, do guys and our workforce have choices to go locations? Positive, however in addition they received. They love being part of this program, and so they imagine in what we’re doing.”
Henry pointed to a different issue: Beamer, who isn’t the offensive or defensive coordinator, can take a extra holistic method in managing the roster.
“That’s one in all his superpowers as a coach, I’d say, is personnel choice,” Henry mentioned. “He’s a reasonably good decide of character, and he is aware of how you can carry guys in that need the most effective for our program, who know how you can purchase in, who need to be right here. That’s the way you create tradition in a program.”
A part of that tradition is that edge, which propelled the Gamecocks final yr. So, how do they keep that after a powerful season when individuals at the moment are writing glowing issues about them? There’s a built-in disrespect as a result of the historical past of this system isn’t as wealthy and the assets and ceiling of this system aren’t seen as excessive.
Then there’s simply Beamer. The workforce would possibly feed off its quarterback on the sphere, however off the sphere, it often feeds off its coach. Gamers nonetheless carry up the story of Beamer kicking over the cooler after a loss to Florida two years in the past.
“I really like that about him,” Kilgore mentioned. “That exhibits how offended he was, however he is aware of what we’ve bought to do to get to the following step. Simply seeing how a lot battle he has.”
That doesn’t imply South Carolina will preserve ascending. That doesn’t imply it received’t ultimately be eaten up by the SEC, that Beamer can be there ceaselessly. Spurrier had an excellent run however hit his ceiling and is now again in Florida {golfing}.
However for now, the vibes are good. In Beamer’s workplace, he redesigned it to have an image of the constructing the place his previous workplaces had been, as a reminder of the place he got here from, no less than in Columbia. However he has momentos from the 2010 SEC Championship Recreation when the Gamecocks misplaced to Cam Newton and Auburn. It’s a reminder that this program can win, because it did below Spurrier.
“For me, I believe it in all probability simply stems in the end from being right here earlier than,” Beamer mentioned. “Possibly what this program is perceived on the skin by individuals isn’t as excessive as what I believe it ought to be. I’m not speaking about us proper now. I’m simply that means the South Carolina soccer program typically. And I get you gotta win soccer video games to earn that. However I don’t like placing a ceiling on something. And I believe individuals have put a ceiling on this program for a very long time. And in my thoughts, it was, there isn’t any ceiling on this program.
“We have now all the pieces that we have to win on the highest degree, and, you realize, I’m gonna be sure that now we have that edge and don’t let anyone, you realize, disrespect this system.”
(Prime photograph: Jacob Kupferman / Getty Photos)
