How will Shane Beamer go viral this year with South Carolina?
——This is part of a summer series. Leading up to the start of South Carolina’s 2025 season, The State is answering 25 of the most interesting questions surrounding the Gamecocks football team. This is No. 11 ——
The buzzer sounds in Death Valley. Shane Beamer throws his arms in the air and walks toward midfield with the wry smile. His Gamecocks are 6-0, atop the SEC after — finally — beating LSU, redemption after a 2024 loss marred by penalties, injuries and, of course, officiating.
Later that night, the Gamecocks’ football page posts a video to social media.
The winning team is huddled around its head coach. Beamer begins to talk the way he does when passion courses through his body. His hand gestures grow. He begins emphasizing second syllables. He tells his team that they are “e-lete,” butthey’re gotta stay the course. It’s a long season.
Then he gets to his ending.
“Let’s break it down,” he says. “But first … Dylan help me out.”
Out comes edge Dylan Stewart, who grabs Beamer’s garnet polo like he’s opening up curtains, tearing the shirt to reveal the black-and-white stripes underneath. Beamer was coaching the entire game in a referee uniform — a little jab toward the events of last season.
Even more: He does his postgame press conference in his torn polo, where the ref shirt is clearly visible. Naturally he’s asked about it. He said he’s had the shirt for 30 years, back from his first high school job working at Foot Locker in Blacksburg. Social media, of course, explodes.
OK, that is our facetious, far-fetched hypothetical for how Beamer will go viral in 2025, how he’ll become — for better or worse — the talk of the internet for a bit.
And, yes, it is a when, not if, proposition. Beamer, outgoing and always willing to be unabashedly himself, does something every season that blows up.
Let’s try and list them.
▪ 2021:
- Pulls 24-year-old graduate assistant Zeb Noland onto the active roster to be the Gamecocks’ starting QB.
- After a loss to Georgia, he goes on a rant, saying the Bulldogs have “like 100 five-star football players on their defense. They have a defensive lineman (Jordan Davis) that weighs 340 pounds and runs better than everybody on this call.”
- Gets doused in mayonnaise after winning the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, then claps back at criticism from CBS’ Dennis Dodd that included “#FindSomeJoy”.
▪ 2022:
- As South Carolina held its 50th anniversary of Title IX ceremony by honoring women’s sports teams in the end zone, Beamer screamed at them to “get off the field” because the game was about to resume. That didn’t sit well and he had to apologize.
- Told the fan base to “find some joy” after a win over Vanderbilt.
- There was, of course, the “stupid sunglasses” video after the Gamecocks’ win at Kentucky.
- Criticized the Gator Bowl officials, saying, “I hate to see it sometimes when officials try and make the game about them.”
▪ 2023:
- Ranted about the chain crew eating hot dogs at halftime, delaying what was supposed to be a surprise onside kick against North Carolina.
- In frustration after a loss to Florida, Beamer kicked a Gatorade cooler and broke his foot, showing up that week limping at his weekly press conference and to the “Carolina Calls” radio show in a boot.
▪ 2024:
- Went off on the officiating after the LSU game, a loss that he continued to express frustration with the entire season.
- On a positive note, Beamer’s locker-room rendition of Fantasia’s “When I See U” to his wife was one of the indelible images of USC’s win over Texas A&M. The video on Gamecock football’s X account has over 3.3 million views.
- Criticized the College Football Playoff Committee, notably chairman Warde Manuel’s wording of why South Carolina couldn’t move up. “If I hear the word ‘data point’ one more time in my life, I might throw up,” he said.
- Nearly got into a scuffle with Illinois coach Bret Bielema after the latter — angry over what he thought was a bush-league in-game move from USC — taunted Beamer.
Of course, 2025 will bring more Beamer rants and more viral moments.
Odds seem to favor some sort of referee criticism, but just when you think that’s the only thing in his bag, Beamer surprises you. Sometimes he kicks a cooler and sometimes he serenades his wife. He has range.
So where’s that gonna take him in 2025? Take your guess.
25 QUESTIONS FOR THE 2025 SEASON:
No. 25 — What South Carolina positions have the most question marks heading into season?
No. 24 — A Gamecocks victory over Va. Tech would be biggest season-opening win since when?
No. 23 — How will South Carolina’s QB room shake out in 2025 and beyond?
No. 22 — If USC beat Bama or LSU in ’24, would national conversation be different right now?
No. 21 — Can the Gamecocks’ offensive line take a step forward in 2025?
No. 20 — What former South Carolina football player will get his jersey retired next?
No. 19 — Can South Carolina get to the LSU game undefeated?
No. 18 — Will Fred Johnson be South Carolina’s next great LB?
No. 17 — What’s the most important stretch in USC’s 2025 schedule?
No. 16 — Can South Carolina’s defense stay elite despite all its roster turnover?
No. 15 — What South Carolina school records could be broken in 2025?
No. 14 — What’s the ceiling for USC’s running backs, with or without Rahsul Faison?
No. 13 — Can South Carolina’s special teams get back to Beamer Ball standard?
No. 12 — Have Gamecocks found right balance of high school football talent, transfers?
No. 11 — How will Shane Beamer go viral this year with South Carolina?
No. 10 — Is South Carolina too young at wide receiver?
No. 9 — Is this South Carolina’s easiest schedule in the Shane Beamer era?
No. 8 — Will there be noticeable changes in Mike Shula’s offense at South Carolina?
No. 7 — Can South Carolina football stay relatively healthy again in 2025?
No. 6 — Is this the last year for Williams-Brice Stadium as we know it?
No. 5 — What does a path to the playoff look like for South Carolina?
No. 4 — What happens if South Carolina football is no longer an underdog?
No. 3 — How would a 10-win season in 2025 shape Shane Beamer’s legacy in Columbia?
No. 2 — Can Dylan Stewart have a better season than Jadeveon Clowney did in 2012?
No. 1 — Can LaNorris Sellers become the best QB in South Carolina history?
This story was originally published July 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
