Shane Beamer reveals what he wants to show recruits visiting South Carolina on game day

One of the biggest challenges for Shane Beamer at South Carolina — or any coach ultimately trying to best Georgia and Alabama — is recruiting. But for all the challenges to building a competitive SEC, there is also plenty of opportunity for Beamer and co. to reel in top recruits.

There’s a lot that goes into landing a recruit, even just in a single visit for a game. Beamer detailed some of the rigamarole, and what he wants potential future Gamecocks to see when they visit Columbia, South Carolina.

“So many, they are coming in on Friday, just the opportunity to be around our players and coaches and staff as well, as much as possible, get some extra time to do that,” Beamer said ahead of the Gamecocks opener against Georgia State. “To feel what Columbia, South Carolina, is like on a Friday night for a home football weekend. Certainly, with it being a night game, we’ll have some people that’ll be here Saturday, they get a chance on Saturday during the day — this is an unbelievable college town to be be able to get out. Experience what a college town is like on a Saturday, into a Saturday night in Columbia. It’s pretty special and a great opportunity.”

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The real action picks up around the stadium on Saturday, Beamer said. He really wants a hype environment for the Gamecock Walk into Williams-Brice Stadium.

“And then once they get to the game it’s about relationships,” Beamer said, “but certainly recruits see and watch that Gamecock Walk, when we arrive. So the bigger and more electric, loud and wild and crazy that is, the more of an impact that makes on these guys. And I’m serious in saying that. I’ve coached other schools where we had a walk, and I was in a different conference, and we talked very recently, and we talked about the walk we had pregame and we want recruits to watch it. I’ve been in the SEC and I remember telling the head coach, ‘Look, this guy we got coming in on this visit, he was at an SEC school last week. Our walk is cool and all, but it ain’t that.'”

He continued: “It’s the same thing here. It’s a different walk, pregame environment. But then just the electricity in the stadium. The way all 80-plus-thousand people feel like they’re playing the game for you — truly an asset, and a home field advantage. And then just hopefully playing well. Winning, obviously, helps the experience with the prospects and their families that are here.”

Once they arrive at the stadium, coaches are still in recruiting mode. While the South Carolina players are taking their time in the locker room to get ready for the pregame session, Beamer and his staff are recruiting.

“But like always, being able to allow them to see what we’re about as a program and as people, as well, on game day,” Beamer said. “And we spend a lot of time with them. When coaches get to the stadium on Saturday, the players are getting dressed and all that — we as coaches, the first hour before we go off to pregame that’s spent doing nothing but just visiting with recruits. So i’ve got a little locker room-office there at the stadium so all I do is sit in there, recruits come in and out, visit with them, talk and then I get to see them out there for pregame and all that as well. A lot goes into it, and just be ourselves.”