Three things on South Carolina football’s bye week to-do list
Shane Beamer knows the gauntlet is coming.
After the bye week, the Gamecocks will play at No. 13 LSU, vs. No. 5 Oklahoma, vs. No. 6 Alabama and at No. 4 Ole Miss before their next bye week. Oh, then they return to play at No. 6 Texas A&M.
That upcoming slate only adds to the emphasis of South Carolina’s improving over this idle week.
The good news: After rolling past Kentucky on Saturday, USC (3-2, 1-2 SEC) is riding into its bye week on a positive note. Though the losses to Vanderbilt and Missouri dashed much of the hope that South Carolina could have one of those special seasons, the Gamecocks still have all their goals in front of them.
They just have to be darn near perfect the rest of the way.
That starts during this bye week, where it seems like the Gamecocks have a to-do list three items long.
1. Self-scouting
Perhaps the most-advantageous part of the bye week for coaches is the chance to watch film on the first five games of the season and take a big-picture look.
What’s going well? What types of play calls are being executed the best? OK, how can we do more of that, incorporate more of what we’re doing well? And vice versa: What isn’t working? What play-calls are guys struggling with? OK, do those need to be tweaked or just taken out completely?
Beamer said that USC’s three coordinators — Mike Shula (offense), Clayton White (defense) and Joe DeCamillis (special teams) — will lead the self-scout in their respective groups.
They will then be able to relay that to the players in meetings on Monday and Tuesday.
“Let’s really dig in on how we can get better,” Beamer said. “Where are we not very good right now, what personnel do we maybe need to adjust? What schemes do we need to tweak?”
2. Prepping for LSU
Beamer noted that the Gamecocks will really focus on self-scouting through over the next few days, but will also start preparing the players for LSU on Tuesday.
“On Tuesday and Wednesday, it’s still (about) us but really get going on LSU,” Beamer said.
Through five weeks, the Tigers are 4-1 but coming off a 24-19 loss to Ole Miss on Saturday. And, unfortunately for South Carolina, LSU also has a bye this week, meaning the Gamecocks won’t be able to secure a massive game-planning advantage.
It should be known: LSU coach Brian Kelly is 2-2 after bye weeks since taking over the Tigers in 2022. Beamer, meanwhile, is 3-2 after an idle week.
For South Carolina, though, there could be a fear of players looking too far ahead, of thinking about the next five game against Top-15 opponents. It will be up to Beamer and his staff to make sure their minds stay solely on LSU for the next two weeks.
“(We) look forward to competing, starting with LSU,” Beamer said. “And then after LSU, we’ll worry ... about what’s next.”
3. Recruiting
While South Carolina’s assistant coaches are often able to go check out high-school games on Friday nights, Beamer is always back at the team hotel.
With no game to prepare for, Beamer and his coaching staff will be on the road for most of Thursday and Friday recruiting.
“I think I’ll be in five states ... trying to see a lot of guys,” Beamer said. “As a head coach, you’re limited because the month of December is now a dead period.”
That means these bye weeks are as crucial as ever for coaches to get on the road.
As of now, the Gamecocks’ 2026 recruiting class has 16 commitments — headlined by QB Landon Duckworth and five-star O-lineman Darius Gray — and ranks No. 18 nationally, per 247Sports.
“We have momentum now going on the road after a win,” Beamer said. “There’s a lot of excitement. The recruiting class that we have right now is great.”
This story was originally published September 29, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
