South Carolina’s Shane Beamer takes another jump in CBS Sports’ SEC coach rankings

CBS Sports released its annual ranking of every Power Five coach, and South Carolina’s Shane Beamer took yet another jump.

On the heels of USC’s memorable 2022 season — which featured eight wins, two top 10 victories over Tennessee and Clemson and a Gator Bowl appearance — the website’s staff ranked Beamer as the No. 9 coach in the SEC and the No. 40 coach nationally.

Beamer moved up two spots from his previous ranking of No. 11 among the 14 SEC coaches and one spot, from No. 41 to No. 40, among all 69 coaches in the Power Five conferences.

Tom Fornelli, the CBS Sports writer who collected and recapped the staff voting results, said he was “surprised” Beamer didn’t take an even larger jump in the rankings after the strong Year 2 with South Carolina.

“The Gamecocks improved by one victory in Beamer’s second season, and he climbs a spot in our rankings,” Fornelli wrote. “Seems fair to me. While I believe this assessment is fine, I’m a little surprised he didn’t receive a bigger bump.”

Alabama coach Nick Saban, Georgia coach Kirby Smart and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney ranked No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 for the second straight year of the poll with Southern Cal’s Lincoln Riley and Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh occupying the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.

Beamer, 46, debuted at No. 14 among SEC coaches entering his 2021 debut season, which is where CBS Sports (which has done this poll annually since 2016) generally ranks rookie coaches. He also ranked No. 65 out of the 65 Power Five coaches that year.

Beamer jumped to No. 11 among SEC coaches and No. 41 nationally in the website’s 2022 rankings after South Carolina went 7-6 his first season and beat UNC in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

Now, after guiding USC to wins in seven of their last nine games and registering the school’s first win over rival Clemson since 2013, he’s up to No. 9 among coaches in what’s generally regarded as college football’s top conference.

The Gamecocks kick off their 2023 season on Saturday, Sept. 2 against North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Classic. The game will be played at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, home of the Carolina Panthers.

CBS Sports 2023 SEC coach rankings

Determined by a vote among the CBS Sports staff. Listed by SEC ranking, with overall Power Five ranking out of 69 coaches in parentheses.

1. Nick Saban, Alabama (1)
2. Kirby Smart, Georgia (2)
3. Brian Kelly, LSU (6)
4. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss (14)
5. Josh Heupel, Tennessee (16)
6. Mark Stoops, Kentucky (18)
7. Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M (20)
8. Hugh Freeze, Auburn (26)
9. Shane Beamer, South Carolina (40)
10. Sam Pittman, Arkansas (42)
11. Billy Napier, Florida (43)
12. Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri (51)
13. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt (56)
14. Zach Arnett, Mississippi State (68)

Chapel Fowler

The State

Chapel Fowler, the NSMA’s 2024 South Carolina Sportswriter of the Year, has covered Clemson football and other topics for The State since summer 2022. His work’s also been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the South Carolina Press Association and the North Carolina Press Association. He’s a Denver, N.C., native, a UNC-Chapel Hill alum and a pickup basketball enthusiast. Support my work with a digital subscription