Shane Beamer compares momentum in spring practice to past years

South Carolina fell short of expectations in 2023, going 5-7 and missing a bowl after posting winning records in the first two seasons under Shane Beamer. And turning the ship around is a process that really starts in the weeks after the season ends.

And by spring, if all goes well, there should be some sense of building to a strong season. After the Gamecocks’ spring game on April 20, Beamer felt strong about the direction South Carolina was headed in.

“As far as this team, there’s a great hunger about ’em,” Beamer said. “Ever since they came back in January, they’ve been fantastic. A lot of returning guys that have — we’ve got 12 players on our team that were here in 2020 and they are adamant about finishing better than what we did last season. And they’ve been great leaders and have shown a great work ethic in leading the way since they came back in January. And then you inject a bunch of new faces in here, whether it be transfer or all of our freshmen that are here. So that’s what I like, just the closeness of the group.”

The head coach shared that he’s heard anecdotally from players that it’s a uniquely close group.

“And I’ve had players on the team tell me unsolicited in the last few weeks how close the locker room is and how much better — not that it was bad before, but this is the best and closest team we’ve had,” Beamer said. “And everybody’s in the same direction and believes in the same thing and we’ve got a lot of work to do but I like where we are right now and I like the direction that we’re going as a 2024 team and as a program, also, with the way that we’re recruit. There’s a lot of impressive players out there tonight and a lot of those guys are true freshmen, and sophomores.”

And while he was going about how things were headed in the right direction again for South Carolina, Beamer took the chance to brag about the atmosphere at Williams-Brice Stadium for the spring game.

“We’ve had energetic spring games and momentum, I think, every spring game that we’ve had,” Beamer said. “Tonight was awesome, also. Certainly felt that momentum and that energy also. I had an earpiece in, was mic’d up with Taylor Zarzour, Matt Stinchcomb, the TV crew, all night. And they were commenting on it, just the excitement and the energy in Williams-Brice Stadium, one of the best venues in all of college football and they’re right.”