Shane Beamer, Gamecocks get rousing ovation in celebration of 2021 season
Shane Beamer strutted out to the floor at Colonial Life Arena with his right thumb and pinky finger fashioned in South Carolina’s “Spurs up” hand signal as a smile graced his face.
Donning what looked to be the garnet checkered blazer he wore around this time last year when he was introduced as the Gamecocks’ new football coach, he was greeted on the far side of the court by a raucous applause and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl trophy perched on a table at midcourt.
Beamer’s appearance and subsequent speech lasted all of four minutes. The response, though, at halftime of USC men’s basketball’s 71-63 loss to Florida offered a brief glimpse into how far South Carolina’s previously wayward football program has come in just a year.
“I don’t know if we’ll ever have a group as special as these guys right here for what they accomplished this season,” a noticeably effervescent Beamer said. “To go from two wins to seven wins to now listen; to not listen to the naysayers that assumed we wouldn’t even be in a bowl game; to have five come-from-behind victories during this season says everything that you need to know about these guys and what they’re about.”
The former Georgia and Oklahoma assistant coach inherited a bleak situation upon his arrival in Columbia in December 2020.
South Carolina was fresh off a 2-8 season. The Gamecocks lost eight players between Will Muschamp’s firing on Nov. 15 and early January. The quarterback room eventually dropped to two scholarship signal-callers.
What a difference a year makes.
Beamer spent the bulk of last offseason not only mitigating the mess he inherited from Muschamp, but trying to piece together a team in need of super glue with duct tape.
This offseason, though, has been different.
Oklahoma transfers Spencer Rattler and Austin Stogner thrust South Carolina into the national spotlight with their commitments in December. A Dec. 30 throttling of North Carolina and Beamer’s victories mayonnaise bath added to the good vibes.
The Gamecocks have since remained active in the transfer portal. They snagged commitments from three Power Five contributors and a wildly productive Group of Five import in safety Devonni Reed over the past two weeks.
“We plan to be out here a lot celebrating football teams and presenting SEC championship trophies to teams out here as well,” Beamer said.
Beamer’s bunch sat in section 110, roughly 20 rows behind the basket, munching on popcorn, joking with one another and, eventually, receiving a rousing ovation on the court at halftime as their head coach brought energy to an otherwise listless mid-afternoon crowd.
One-by-one, Beamer rattled off the newcomers who’ve already made it to campus. Four-star quarterback Braden Davis was among those standing on the hardwood. So, too, was Wake Forest transfer running back Christian Beal-Smith. Three-star recruits D’Andre Martin and Felix Hixon heard their names called as well.
South Carolina’s latest hire, outside linebackers and edge rushers coach Sterling Lucas, also sat in the stands at Colonial Life Arena on Saturday with a slew of recruits. It’s the first weekend Lucas has been able to interact with potential prospects since South Carolina’s board of trustees approved the former Jacksonville Jaguars assistant’s contract on Thursday.
“Any time you hire a guy from the NFL that hasn’t recruited, that’s always something that’s in the back of your mind,” Beamer said during a press conference following the meeting. “But after being around him and just seeing his work ethic, his hunger and desire to recruit, his personality and his ability to relate with people, I have no doubt he’ll be a fantastic recruiter.”
In a matter of a year, Beamer has reinvigorated a dormant fan base. He has brought life to a program that bordered on lifeless less than 13 months ago. Somehow, some way he and his staff guided South Carolina to a bowl victory and a 7-6 record.
Saturday served as a celebration of sorts. Ever the recruiter he is, though, Beamer took it as a chance to offer the potential prospects in the crowd he couldn’t legally address by name under NCAA rules a message for the future.
“I’m letting you guys know — the recruits here today — you guys come to Carolina,” Beamer said, “we’ll be out here (with an SEC title) a hell of a lot quicker than (people) think we’re going to be, too.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2022 at 3:50 PM.
