With no bowl game, these 5 major moments are next for South Carolina
It is still hard to fully process how in the world South Carolina lost Saturday. It is almost incomprehensible to watch an SEC team blow a 27-point halftime lead — probably because, well, it hasn’t happened in at least two decades.
And, yet, the Gamecocks accomplished the feat. No. 3 Texas A&M (9-0, 7-0 SEC) scored touchdowns on four straight drives to start the second half and complete the comeback.
By falling 31-30, South Carolina (3-7, 1-7 SEC) no longer has a path to bowl eligibility. The Gamecocks will not play in the postseason for the second time in three seasons.
So what is there to look forward to? These five moments are coming up.
1. The Clemson game
While not totally successful, any South Carolina season that ends with a win over Clemson is at least a bit positive. And, well, this Clemson team is mighty beatable.
Beating the Tigers will not erase the disaster of the 2025 season. It will not forgive missing a bowl and blowing a 27-point lead. But it would be a tinge of positivity to take into the offseason. It would make the fan base feel better. Ditto for coach Shane Beamer and athletic director Jeremiah Donati.
This season gets really hard to accept if the Gamecocks are 4-8 with their best win coming against Kentucky. Being 5-7 with a win over Clemson adds a little shine to the resume. It would allow Beamer to say, “See, I told you this team was close.” It would allow the athletic department to bring the Palmetto Bowl to booster events all summer. It would allow the Gamecocks to say — accurately — that South Carolina has a winning record over Clemson in the Beamer era.
All that makes life easier come December. It makes South Carolina easier to sell to transfers, to recruits. It gives the current Gamecocks a nice taste of USC as they decide on their future.
And, well, a loss just keeps this season a disaster. Donati has made it seem like Beamer is coming back in 2026 no matter what, and the Gamecocks’ head coach was already raving Saturday about his great conversations about retaining USC’s current roster.
2. Hiring an offensive coordinator
We wrote before the Texas A&M game that “if the Gamecocks can somehow score enough points to beat this A&M team,” play caller Mike Furrey should be the frontrunner to be South Carolina’s next offensive coordinator.
Oh, so close.
Two weeks after the firing of offensive coordinator Mike Shula, Furrey (who technically doesn’t have the title of OC, but was calling plays) had a masterful plan against arguably the best defense in the SEC. The Gamecocks produced more yards in the first half than they have in three whole games this season.
It was that good. And, then in the second half, it was that bad.
In any case, Beamer will still have to pick a new offensive coordinator after this season. It could still be Furrey, sure. More likely: Beamer finds someone from outside the program to come in and save this offense.
It is arguably Beamer’s most-high-leverage decision since taking over at South Carolina. The success of that hire could be the difference in USC being back in playoff talks in 2026 and Beamer being fired.
3. Making other staff decisions
Yes, the OC hire will be the most fascinating, but Beamer has plenty of other staff decisions to make.
Starting with: What does he do about his offensive line coach. Tight ends coach Shawn Elliott has been coaching the offensive line since Beamer fired Lonnie Teasley in October.
Does Beamer just keep Elliott as his offensive line coach? If so, who does Beamer hire for the job of tight ends coach?
And is that the extent of the staff changes? All of South Carolina’s assistants signed extensions after the 2024 season, but would Beamer fire anyone else? Or, could any of them move on? And then, what about some of the support staffers — is Beamer satisfied?
It’s hard to gauge, especially considering Beamer’s track record. In his first four seasons, he technically only fired one coach: Montario Hardesty (RBs). Yet, he’s already let go of both Shula and Teasley this season, which leads you to wonder whether he understands there needs to be more change.
4. Managing the transfer portal
This all starts with retention, which starts with the big question: Will QB LaNorris Sellers and edge Dylan Stewart be Gamecocks in 2026?
After Saturday’s game, Beamer seemed confident about South Carolina keeping most of its current roster. Sellers, while coy, added that “I plan on being here because I’m here right now.”
So there’s that.
But beyond retention, the Gamecocks need a transfer portal haul the likes of which we saw after the 2023 season, when Beamer and his staff brought in RB Rocket Sanders, edge Kyle Kennard and LB Demetrius Knight.
South Carolina showed its flaws this season. It needs better running backs. Needs more depth — and talent — on the offensive line. More experience at wide receiver. More playmakers on defense.
It needs a lot of talent and folks to do their job. The Gamecocks need the coaching staff to nail their evaluations. They need the administration to fund the coaching staff with enough resources to go get those players in the portal. And then they need those players to buy in and become difference makers.
5. Signing day
South Carolina will be in an interesting spot come the first signing day on Dec. 3. The Gamecocks will be rooting for chaos.
South Carolina’s 2026 recruiting class currently includes 15 guys, led by five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray and four-star quarterback Landon Duckworth. It’s a solid group, but is also outside the Top 20 in 247 Sports’ rankings.
Now, about the chaos.
South Carolina is a major factor for a number of flip candidates. Dutch Fork pass rusher Julian Walker, whose dad is on USC football’s strength staff, could flip his commitment from Michigan. Five-star edge Zion Elee is committed to Maryland, but took a recent visit to USC and could be in play for the Gamecocks.
And then there are numerous others who were committed to schools that fired their head coach — Penn State, Virginia Tech, Florida, LSU, etc. Who knows how many of those kids could be looking to switch up their pledge?
This story was originally published November 16, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
