There will be no bowl game for South Carolina. Now what?
With the news Tuesday that South Carolina football will be backing out of the Gasparilla Bowl this Saturday due to COVID-19 issues, the book was finally closed on the 2020 Gamecocks team.
And most USC fans are likely eager to put this season behind them. A 2-8 record, a head coach being fired and the coronavirus pandemic all combined for a rough year in Columbia.
But now that things are officially over and done with, now what for South Carolina?
Assistant coach season
It’s been more than two weeks since South Carolina hired Shane Beamer to take over as the team’s new head coach. In that time, he finished out his time at Oklahoma, helping the Sooners win a Big 12 title, and oversaw an early signing period light on recruiting activity for USC.
One thing he hasn’t done, though, is announce any of the 10 on-field assistants who will make up his staff. Especially because Beamer is a first-time head coach, fans have been anxious to see who he’ll surround himself with. He’s played it patiently, insisting he won’t rush and still has all his top targets available.
But as long as Beamer has no assistant coaches, the Gamecocks’ offseason won’t be in full swing. Recruiting can’t progress very much when prospects don’t know who their position coaches will be, current players may decide to stay or go based off who is hired and current assistants are in a holding pattern waiting to see if they’ll be asked to stick around. Hiring a staff will be the first domino to fall in what is likely to be an eventful few months.
Transfer portal talk
South Carolina’s 2021 recruiting class is light on numbers — just eight players signed letters of intent during the early signing period, with one more player waiting until February. That means Beamer will have plenty of scholarships to play with, and the Gamecocks have plenty of spots in need of help, especially in the secondary, at wide receiver and at linebacker.
Against the backdrop of the NCAA’s impending decision to give transfers a one-time eligibility waiver, Beamer has indicated he might use some of the scholarships available on the transfer market. And there’s no doubt South Carolina could use some guys with collegiate experience to contribute right away.
On the flip side, Beamer has to make sure he locks down USC’s top current players. We’re talking about players like quarterback Luke Doty, running back MarShawn Lloyd and defensive lineman Jordan Burch, not to mention All-SEC honorees like running back Kevin Harris and defensive lineman Kingsley Enegbare. They’re the kind of blocks Beamer will need to build his program around.
Keep Gunner Stockton
The Gamecocks only have one player committed in the class of 2022, but he’s a big one — five-star quarterback Gunner Stockton. The nation’s top dual-threat QB has put up eye-popping statistics in high school and is, by all accounts, the real deal.
But Stockton committed to South Carolina when Will Muschamp was head coach, and he has a deep relationship with offensive coordinator Mike Bobo, who may or may not be stay on USC’s staff. So his commitment is far from one to feel rock solid about.
Back in early December, Stockton’s father told 247Sports that he wasn’t even going to think about USC’s coaching change or recruiting until after his Rabun County High School team had wrapped up its playoff run. (The Wildcats lost in the semifinals this past Friday.)
So now begins Beamer’s battle to keep Stockton’s pledge firm, in spite of what is sure to be some aggressive attempts to flip him by in-state Georgia and others. And even if Stockton does decide to decommit, Beamer and the Gamecocks aren’t likely to just give up entirely and may try to win him back.
Spring ball
Nothing’s for sure as long as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage. If history is any indication, the Gamecocks will return for spring practice toward the end of February, just a few short months from now. And when that happens, we’ll finally get to see Beamer on the field for USC.
What exactly the roster or the staff surrounding him will look like is obviously still unknown, but this first slate of spring practices will, hopefully, give us some indication of how Beamer will run things.
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 3:39 PM.
