Greg McElroy: Shane Beamer is rolling following Dylan Stewart recruiting win

Last year, Shane Beamer got his biggest recruiting win at South Carolina by landing five-star athlete Nyckoles Harbor. It took him almost six months to top it.

Last week, Beamer and South Carolina secured a commitment from EDGE Dylan Stewart. He has now unseated Harbor as the highest-rated recruit to commit to South Carolina under Beamer’s watch and, according to ESPN’s Greg McElroy, the third-year Gamecocks head coach is on a roll.

“Shane Beamer is rolling right now. Rolling,” McElroy said on Always College Football. “One of the biggest recruiting wins of his tenure came down on Tuesday when they brought in five-star Dylan Stewart from the Washington D.C. area. … They beat out the Ohio State Buckeyes for his services. This is massive for Shane Beamer.”

Stewart brings plenty of hype with his commitment. He’s a Five Star Plus+ recruit, meaning he’s one of the only players ranked by all four major recruiting media companies as a five star. He is also the No. 10 overall recruit from the 2024 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

How Shane Beamer’s personality helps on the recruiting trail

Beamer has gone viral for his hilarious social media personality over his first two years as a head coach. But you also know what you’re getting during conversations with him, whether it be with the media or on recruiting visits. That type of authenticity is why McElroy said Beamer is building momentum.

“What I think is really interesting — for those that have kind of sat down and talked with Shane Beamer, there’s something real genuine about his approach,” McElroy said. “I think he’s very honest. I think he’s very transparent. It’s pretty obvious where he stands on certain things. He’s just himself. He feels very relatable, to me, so it’s clear that he’s making an early impact on some of these recruits. He’s already done a decent job in the portal. But expect more and more recruits to consider South Carolina in the future.

“If they’re going up to D.C. and getting one of the top prospects in the region, that’s only going to help because when one five-star goes it’s amazing how many other five-stars take a peek and say, ‘Hang on. He’s going? Maybe I should take a peek at South Carolina, as well.’ We see similar things happening at Auburn, we see similar things happening at other places as well. But a little shoutout to Shane Beamer for getting the job done.”

Now, it’s worth noting the early signing period doesn’t start until Dec. 20. McElroy pointed out things can change before Stewart signs his National Letter of Intent. That said, Beamer looks like he can keep the ball rolling.

“I know it’s a long way to the Signing Day,” McElroy said. “I know that they’re not there yet, I know it’s not quite to the point where they’re at the finish line. You’ve got to get to the finish line and get Dylan Stewart to sign on the dotted line. But a lot of momentum being created for the Gamecocks right now on the trail. And it’s hard to ignore it, that’s for sure.”