Shane Beamer on losing Kam Pringle to transfer: 'I hate that'

The South Carolina Gamecocks lost a once top-tier offensive line prospect Kam Pringle to the Transfer Portal this spring. It was a situation that head coach Shane Beamer was clearly upset about but one that he also admitted to understanding.

While on the Welcome Home Tour, Beamer met with media members in Summerville. There, he explained that he wishes Pringle well and wishes there was more playing time to go around.

“No, that’s what it is.” Shane Beamer said. “There’s only 11 that can be out there at a time. Wish Kam [Pringle] well. I texted him when I saw that he was going to Syracuse, and wished him well and told him good luck. You know I hate that.”

Coming out of high school at Woodland in South Carolina, Kam Pringle was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2024. He was the 269th-ranked player overall and the 18th-ranked offensive tackle in that recruiting cycle. He would redshirt as a freshman, only seeing minimal action, and was expecting to mostly act as a depth piece again in 2025 before deciding to transfer this April.

“I think you realize that players want to play immediately. Kam was playing a position on the offensive line that takes some time to develop. We’ve got some guys that have come in and played early as freshmen, but that’s a position that, especially in our league, it takes time,” Beamer said. “And you know, I think Kam looked at it and knew he was going to be behind a handful of guys on our offensive line in 2025 and wasn’t really necessarily wanting to sit and not play and develop for another year with a chance to play in 2026. Wanted to go somewhere and have a chance to play right away and wish him well.”

Kam Pringle is far from the only player who wants playing time early in their career. It’s a common reason why players transfer after all. That’s something that Shane Beamer knows just comes with the territory right now.

“I don’t want anybody that I sit in their living room and we talk about why I want them to come to South Carolina. I want everyone to come to South Carolina and have a great experience. But I think Kam did have a good experience. But if you get an opportunity to, you know, go play, and you don’t want to, and you don’t see that imminently or imminent at the place you’re at, I get it and wish them well,” Beamer said. “And that’s what we had with a few guys this year that entered the portal after the spring. Had good, healthy, respectful conversations with them. I understood why they wanted to enter the portal and what the reasons were, and we wish them well.”

South Carolina currently has the 28th-ranked transfer class in the 2025 cycle, according to the On3 College Football Team Transfer Portal Rankings. That includes 22 players who have left the program and 17 who have entered it. Among them, Shane Beamer has added another four offensive linemen, including a tackle this spring.