Shane Beamer shares ideal timeline for hiring South Carolina’s next OC
Just about 24 hours after the biggest SEC collapse in at least two decades, South Carolina coach Shane Beamer tried to keep lit the candle of positivity.
During his weekly Sunday teleconference, Beamer turned to his catchphrase.
“We showed how close we are,” Beamer said.
That came a day after the Gamecocks squandered a 27-point halftime lead and lost 31-30 to No. 3 Texas A&M in College Station. It was South Carolina’s fifth-straight defeat and eliminates the team from bowl eligibility.
“I know we’re close,” Beamer said again.
The Gamecocks head coach has raved all season about the talent on his football team, and seemed quite confident on Saturday night that much of that talent would return to South Carolina (3-7, 1-7 SEC) next season.
So if the Gamecocks are, indeed, close and are bringing back most of their current rosters, then what’s going to push them over the top?
Could it possibly be the next offensive coordinator?
As you probably remember, Beamer fired OC Mike Shula two weeks ago and turned the play-calling duties over to wide receivers coach Mike Furrey — who looked like a savior Saturday ... for one half.
In any case, perhaps the most-consequential decision of Beamer’s head-coaching tenure will be who he tabs as his next offensive coordinator. And with two weeks still remaining in the regular season, when does Beamer hope to fill that spot?
“I would say as soon as possible after the Clemson game (on Nov. 29),” Beamer said. “I don’t want this thing to drag (out).”
The early-signing period begins on Wednesday, Dec. 3 — just four days after the Clemson game. Beamer mentioned he wants to get USC’s recruiting class “solidified and signed,” but didn’t signal that as a deadline for a hire.
Beamer was sure to reiterate that he’s still all-in on the 2025 Gamecocks and is going to “give this team everything I’ve got,” but be sure that he’s got an eye toward next season.
“I’ve got an extremely high sense of urgency to immediately get to work on 2026,” Beamer said. “I know what kind of team we can be in 2026. We’ve shown that, as I just alluded to (against Alabama and Texas A&M). ... Where we were with those guys, we’re not far off.”
Would/could South Carolina still go to a bowl in 2025?
OK, so theoretically South Carolina could still somehow play in a bowl game.
Though the Gamecocks (3-7, 1-7 SEC) have no path to winning six games and becoming bowl-eligible, there is still an incredibly narrow path to the postseason.
Basically, there are 82 spots for bowl games. If there are not 82 teams with at least six wins (as of Sunday night, 63 squads were eligible), then the open spots would go to the two teams transitioning from FBS to FCS — Missouri State and Delaware — if they fulfill the bowl-eligibility criteria.
From there, the 5-7 teams with the highest Academic Progress Rate (APR) get the next invitations.
So, yes, South Carolina still has a microscopic chance to play in a bowl game. And, if somehow everything broke right and they got an invitation, would Beamer even want to play in a bowl game after a 5-7 season?
“I would love to,” Beamer said. “(I would love) the opportunity to go compete again with this team; the opportunity to spend another month together with this team; the opportunity to continue to develop the young guys on our team for next season.”
He continued: “One million percent. Just as a competitor, the opportunity to go compete again. Now I say that without having talked to (athletic director) Jeremiah (Donati) or (President Dr. Michael) Amiridis .... But yes, sign me up.”
This story was originally published November 17, 2025 at 7:00 AM.
