Shane Beamer said he wouldn’t promise a starting QB job. Robby Ashford didn’t mind
Shane Beamer wanted to be crystal clear about something. He has never promised a player, let alone a quarterback, a starting gig. He was never going to do it. Not for Player A, B or C coming out of the transfer portal.
“There were some guys who are playing at other Power-5 schools right now,” Beamer told The State, “that were interested in coming here and I would not promise them, ‘You’re gonna be the starting quarterback.’ ”
Heck, Beamer says, he didn’t promise the starting job to Spencer Rattler two years ago. Nor did Rattler ask to be promised anything. But Rattler probably had enough conviction in his talents to think he was gonna win the starting job.
“That’s confidence,” Beamer said. “That’s what I want in a quarterback.”
“I want someone in here who says, ‘I don’t give a damn if you promise me the starting quarterback job or not. I’m gonna win the job,’ ” Beamer continued. “That’s what I want. Not someone that wants to be handed it. What does that say about them as a competitor?”
Robby Ashford did not need a guarantee. The Auburn transfer quarterback who committed to South Carolina in mid-January just wanted a fresh start.
A former four-star quarterback from Hoover, Alabama, Ashford began his college career at Oregon, not seeing any game action on the football field but playing in a handful of games for the Ducks’ baseball team.
He decided to hit the portal following the 2021 season, choosing to go home and play for Auburn. He finished his Tigers’ career with 1,758 passing yards, nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in 22 games. Last season, he mainly backed up Payton Thorne and often went in for run-specific plays.
When he entered the portal for the second time this offseason, he didn’t need anything handed to him.
“A lot of schools were offering me the starting job, but it didn’t feel like the right situation,” he said. “I wanted to come somewhere and earn the trust and respect of my coaches and teammates.”
Ashford was quick to bring up what South Carolina did for Rattler, revitalizing his career post-portal with the help of Beamer and offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains. So far, Ashford speaks of Loggains like an oracle, saying the former NFL offensive coordinator has “shown me things I had never seen in my life. … I know he can develop me.”
Ashford does have a worthy competitor to battle against. The unofficial favorite to win the starting job is redshirt freshman LaNorris Sellers, but Ashford has the youngster beat in experience. Sellers has yet to start a college game, but has shown off his cannon and speed in limited action.
“I’m just gonna bet on myself,” Ashford said. “At the end of the day, I’m going to be confident in myself, but not cocky. You always have to be confident. I feel like that takes you a long way.”
