Beamer invites recruits to experience ‘unbelievable college town’ for season opener
Last week, football coach Shane Beamer urged recruits to attend South Carolina’s season opener, as some of the schools USC usually recruits against — Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina and Clemson — do not have home games this Saturday.
The Gamecocks open play against Georgia State at 7:30 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium.
“This is an unbelievable college town,” Beamer said. “And to be able to get out and experience what a college town is like on a Saturday, leading into a Saturday night in Columbia is pretty special and a great opportunity.”
Games can serve as an added opportunity to show recruits the culture of a team, beyond typical campus visits. Players will even get to see the Gamecock Walk, where the players enter the stadium before the game while being greeted by fans.
Beamer said some recruits will come into town Friday, giving them a chance to experience a weekend with USC football taking place.
On top of that, the team is playing at night. Offensive lineman Eric Douglas, who’s been with the team since 2017, has felt the experience of both watching a USC game from the sideline and running onto the field on gameday.
“The first time I ran out, it felt surreal, it almost didn’t even feel real,” Douglas said. “Just going out there watching it and actually running out the tunnel are two things. If you can have that excitement just watching it on the sideline, just imagine how it feels running through the smoke and just looking up and seeing all the crowd and everybody cheering.”
New upgrades have been made to the stadium over the summer to enhance the experience. With a new sound system, LED lights, expanded patio space and more, prospects can get a taste of what the athletic department helped work on in the last several months.
“Now, it’s a lot more modern,” defensive back Cam Smith said. “A lot more lights, a lot of videos. Just making it just a whole experience for the fans.”
South Carolina has recruited well of late, recently signing players like Xzavier McLeod, Desmond Umeozulu and Zavion Hardy in the past month.
USC is also coming into Saturday with the momentum of a winning season and a Duke’s Mayo Bowl game win. Added attention is on the team for 2022, but how it builds beyond that will determine its trajectory.
And that starts with recruiting.
“Playing well and winning obviously helps the experience with the prospects and their families that are here,” Beamer said. “Just being able to allow them to see what we’re about as a program and as people as well on game day.”
