Shane Beamer reveals how he has improved as a head coach

You learn a lot when you make the jump from coordinator to head coach in the college football world. That has been the case with South Carolina’s Shane Beamer after his first season at the helm of the Gamecocks. After an up and down 7-6 season, he’s ready to apply what he learned through the course of his inaugural run to his second go around.

Beamer broke down what he has improved on over his first year as a head coach. He said a lot of it has come through improvements in how he expects the program to run as well as he and the team having a better understanding of the other.

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“Probably just an understanding of mistakes I made in practice last year…We’re able to challenge them,” said Beamer. “Having a better understanding of the players on our team. They know me better, I know them better…We had never been through a loss together as a team. They didn’t know how I would react and how I was in the locker room and all that still. I think there’s just a better understanding.”

Another thing he highlighted were minimizing the mistakes he wishes he could redo over the course of the season. Of South Carolina’s six losses, only two were within a score. The other four came by an average of 28 points. In football, especially in the SEC, it can all come down to a single play, call or mistake. Beamer understands that now after a year of learning what not to do.

“You are always learning. Just things last year or mistakes in games. You’re always going to have plays or calls you wish you could have back,” said Beamer. “Being able to say, ‘Okay, I’ve got a year under my belt. You’re an idiot, Shane, for doing that against so and so’ or ‘That wasn’t very smart to do that.'”

Shane Beamer is far more prepared than he was this time last year to handle what comes with his job description. The Gamecocks have improved recruiting and steadily improved their play after Beamer’s first campaign. With a year of building and gelling within his team, Beamer has high hopes that this year will be a launching pad for his program.

“You’re always trying to grow and learn but just that better understanding of the job and everything that it entails. The people around, the players and coaches…Just knowing the team better and (I’m) just more confident in the people around me.”