Shane Beamer, the player: a hard worker, passionate and destined to be a coach

When Shane Beamer entered the Virginia Tech weight room for the first time in 1995, strength and conditioning coach Mike Gentry had a moment when he thought he might lose his job.

“He tried to do a hang clean, and instead of dropping under the bar to catch it, the bar took him off the platform onto the ground,” Gentry said. “I thought, ‘My God, I’m finished before I get started with this kid.’ ”

“This kid” wasn’t exactly your typical college freshman. It was Shane Beamer, son of Frank Beamer, joining the football team as the elder Beamer was preparing for his ninth season as Virginia Tech’s head coach.

And no strength coach wants a player injured under his watch, let alone “the coach’s kid.” But Shane Beamer, the college football player, wasn’t the type to expect special treatment because his father was the head coach.

Even as his Virginia Tech teammates affectionately called him “Little Beams,” his entire journey as a college football player was based on his own hard work.

“He never tried to be special,” Gentry said. “His father had a saying, ‘If you don’t act special, people will treat you special.’ And you could tag him with that.”

Beamer, who lived in Blacksburg since his dad took the Hokies coaching job in 1987, grew up playing a combination of quarterback, wide receiver and defensive back. As a senior at Blacksburg High School, he was an all-state receiver with 55 catches for 600 yards and four touchdowns. During that time, Beamer was already training as a long snapper in hopes of playing football at the collegiate level.

“My dad kind of had the talk with me in eighth grade,” he said. “He said, ‘Look, Shane, if you want to play at a high level, I’m not sure it’s as a quarterback or wide receiver. ... There’s a way for you to get on the field and that’s snapping.’ ”

Beamer walked on at Virginia Tech in 1995 and was redshirted. In 1996 he got his first reps in kickoff coverage, before taking over long-snapping duties on punts in 1997 and finishing his college career with a BCS National Championship appearance in 1999. He recorded 10 tackles in his career.

During practices, Beamer would often work with the Hokies wide receivers and, according to the 1999 team media guide, “made himself into a contributor with hard work,” including a 415-pound max squat. That media guide bio also said Beamer “hustles to get down field on coverage after the snap” and “mixes a great knowledge of the game with a team-first attitude.”

“I was athletic enough, decent as a snapper but could get downfield in coverage and force some fair catches,” Beamer said.

His speed and snapping ability made him effective as a long snapper in punt coverage, but Frank Beamer, a special teams guru, sought a different build for his field goal snapper. He split the duties between his son and Cliff Anders, who walked onto the team alongside Beamer in 1995.

“I think I got a shot at being a long snapper, and all of the sudden you realize that the head coach’s son is playing the same position you’re playing,” Anders said. “My heart kind of sunk.”

Anders said his build — a few inches shorter and roughly 25 pounds heavier than Beamer — made him effective in field goal snapping and earned him a spot on the team.

Beamer and Anders got along thanks to their discipline and focus. Anders, who went on to serve in the Army after graduating from Virginia Tech’s corps of cadets, gelled well with the future coach.

“He had a maturity level that was higher than most,” Anders said. “I think it was literally just absolute sheer destiny that Shane became a coach.”

Beamer was mature, but he was not a coach’s pet. He did what he could to get away from the “Little Beams” nickname. And at the end of the day, his maturity and passion for football simply set him apart from a roster Anders described as a “rowdy bunch.”

“I think he was practicing in his mind to become a coach,” Anders said. “And he knew if he ever got in trouble, his dad would probably be more disappointed than anyone ever could be.”

Beamer moved on to be a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech and Tennessee, as well as an assistant coach at Mississippi State and South Carolina, before returning to Blacksburg in 2011 to coach under his father. He’s since been an assistant coach at Georgia and Oklahoma before returning to Columbia as the Gamecocks’ head coach.

And he took over as head coach at South Carolina ahead of the 2021 season. Now, he’s set to lead the No. 13-ranked Gamecocks against his alma mater Sunday in Atlanta.

No game is ever a sure thing, but if you ask his old teammate:

“If Shane Beamer is as prepared as I think he is,” Anders said. “I think Shane Beamer and the Gamecocks win.”

Shane Beamer’s Virginia Tech media guide bio

From Beamer’s senior season with the Hokies.

Has played a valuable role in Tech’s success the past three seasons as a member of the special teams ... Made himself into a contributor with hard work ... Played on five different special team units as a freshman ... Took over the starting role as deep snapper for punts in 1997 ... Has helped the punting unit rank as one of the nation’s best the past two seasons ... Hustles to get down field on coverage after the snap ... Can hold for field goals or extra points if needed ... Has practiced with Tech’s receivers during his three seasons ... Mixes a great knowledge of the game with a team-first attitude ... Will be looked to for senior leadership this fall.