South Carolina labeled 'dead in the water' under Shane Beamer by opposing coach

South Carolina is entering their fourth year with Shane Beamer as the head coach. The 2023 season was a deflating one, going 5-7 off the backs of an exciting end in 2022. Some big wins have come for the Gamecocks under Beamer but the consistency has not been there.

While the hope is for a bounce-back season in Columbia, some people from outside the program are not too optimistic. One opposing coach even believes South Carolina is “dead in the water” with Beamer. The coach claims Beamer was never ready to be a head coach after being hired from Oklahoma as the assistant head coach and tight ends coach.

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“I think Shane Beamer is on the hot seat,” the coach said via Lindy’s Sports Magazine. “He had some issues with the portal, NIL. I don’t think Cocky (nickname for Beamer) is very happy now. Shane Beamer’s first head coaching job was at South Carolina. Beamer wasn’t ready for that. You can tell by the way he handles his press conferences. He’s had a few big wins, yes. But I see that program dead in the water.”

Beamer brought in over 20 new transfers this offseason while there were a similar amount of exports through the NCAA transfer portal. On the recruiting front, South Carolina’s 2024 class finished No. 19 per the On3 Industry Team Rankings, good enough for 10th in the SEC.

Another coach gave his opinion on South Carolina, saying Beamer made a smart move by bringing Shawn Elliott back. He was previously the Georgia State head coach after being with the Gamecocks for seven seasons beginning in 2010. If there were any locker room problems in 2023, Elliott can get them back on track.

“One thing Beamer did that was really smart, he brought back (tight ends coach and run-game coordinator) Shawn Elliott,” the coach said. “He’s beloved by South Carolina people and coached there for a while (2010-16). Many thought he’d have been a better head coach move than Will Muschamp or Beamer, Shawn will get the locker room right where Shane lost the locker room last year.”

Whether or not he’s on the hot seat, Beamer has a big season ahead of him. South Carolina has a tough SEC schedule, facing off against some of the conference’s top teams. And there is always the end-of-season rivalry against Clemson, a game Beamer is 1-2 in. Getting back to winning ways is a must, at least according to an outside coach’s opinion.