First look at South Carolina’s ’2001’ entrance, Shane Beamer in new EA football game
Gamecock fans got a sneak peek Monday at how South Carolina football will look in Williams-Brice Stadium this year — virtually, that is.
EA Sports released a teaser video Monday for the latest installment of its college football video game that showed the pregame routine for Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks.
The video from “College Football 2026” showed a night game at Williams-Brice, fit with the LED light show and Cocky standing on top of the Cockaboose pumping up the crowd while “2001” plays in the background before the band starts playing South Carolina’s fight song.
During last year’s version of the game, neither the Cockaboose nor 2001 were featured in the pregame intro for games played at Williams-Brice Stadium.
The USC-focused clip was used as an example of “Epic Runouts” that select teams will have when playing a game in primetime. South Carolina is also one of 15 teams in the game this year that will have light shows during night games.
“Reserved for special night games across iconic locations, Epic Runouts aim to create the best primetime experience,” EA said in a blog post. “These sequences include light and drone shows, drawing from many real-world references. The focus is to immerse players in the thrilling atmosphere of a major matchup with the lights dimmed, phone outs, and Cocky at center stage hyping up the crowd at South Carolina University where the stakes are high and the energy level hits an all time high!”
A small detail fans will appreciate is the change in rally towel color. In EA’s “College Football 2025,” fans at Williams-Brice waved black rally towels. In this year’s installment of the game, fans will wave white rally towels just like the ones you see in Williams-Brice on fall Saturdays.
Last year’s game did not include real-world coaches, but this year the game will include over 300 real coaches. South Carolina announced Beamer and his coordinators, Clayton White and Mike Shula, would all appear in the game.
A brief portion of Monday’s clip shows what is presumably a virtual Beamer hyping up a virtual LaNorris Sellers before running out of the tunnel. The adaptation of USC’s head coach has him wearing a garnet hat, garnet hoodie and khaki pants.
The simulated matchup in Monday’s clip features No. 12 South Carolina hosting No. 17 Kansas State.
EA Sports’ “College Football 2026” will be released on July 10.
This story was originally published June 23, 2025 at 11:53 AM.
