Shane Beamer opens up on how special it is seeing South Carolina players move on to NFL

It warms Shane Beamer’s heart to see what his former South Carolina Gamecocks players are up to in the NFL.

The program saw multiple athletes move on to the next level during the 2023 NFL Draft, and Beamer explained to the media why it’s so special to see each and every player that does get a chance at an NFL career move on.

“When you recruit a young man out of high school, that’s the ultimate goal,” started Beamer. “To graduate, which we’ve had a bunch of guys graduate since I became head coach, but didn’t have a chance to go on to the NFL and play professionally, and it’s really cool to see so many of those guys accomplish the first step of that goal. Getting an opportunity with an NFL team. The opportunity to just sit down and thank them for everything, those are all guys that came in and accepted me as their head coach. Worked really hard and did a lot of great things for Gamecock football the last two seasons. So I’m appreciative of them.

“Then it was pretty cool too, to be able to just sit down and think back to some of the memories you have of some of those guys, and great moments. There were a lot of special ones, for sure.”

Of course, not every South Carolina player will move on to the league, and even less will stay in the NFL for a prolonged period of time. Still, Beamer has love for all his team’s accomplishments, especially simply graduating from the university over their time with the program.

Still, South Carolina had some big names selected in the 2023 NFL Draft. Defensive back Cam Smith led them all, as he was selected with the No. 51 overall pick in the second round by the Miami Dolphins.

Smith finished the 2022 college season with 27 tackles, five pass deflections and an interception. On his college career, which included 32 games, the cornerback racked up 91 tackles, six interceptions and 18 pass deflections.

Meanwhile, other former Gamecocks such as defensive lineman Zacch Pickens, defensive back Darius Rush and offensive lineman Jovaughn Gwyn also were selected during the 2023 NFL Draft, bringing a smile to Beamer’s face.

Over his tenure at South Carolina, Shane Beamer has proven to be able to get the job done on the field, and send his players to the next level. It seems as if the Gamecocks are only scratching the surface of their potential, and plenty of more NFL caliber talent is in their future.