Everything Shane Beamer said about final week of spring practice on Tuesday

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer spoke to the media on Tuesday to assess spring practice and look ahead to Friday’s Garnet and Black Spring Game. Here’s everything he had to say.

Opening statement

“Sorry to keep you waiting. We’ve got two great recruits that are here in town. So I was meeting with one of them, and as I was walking into my office, the one that I was meeting with, the high school coach. He said one of all-time famous videos is your rant after the Georgia game in 2021 about what Georgia was doing defensively, and that we were laughing about that. It was fun to go back and relive that moment in Gamecock lore.

“Awesome week here right now. Spring game week, I could not be more fired up about Friday night. It’s going to be a great culmination of what we’ve done this spring. Just got off the field. Another good practice here this morning, just working some more situational things. Going back to last week, there’s no question we got better as a team last week in our three days on the practice field, finishing up with the scrimmage that we had on Saturday morning and then an awesome afternoon spending time with hundreds of ladies that were here for our ladies football day on Saturday. But like the work that we got done in the scrimmage. It was evident, I told the team this morning that we took a step last week as a team and got better, and now the key is going to be to continue to get better here the rest of this week as well. Practice today, as I said, we’ll practice again on Thursday, and then game on Friday night to finish it up.

“In regards to the game, we’ll meet as a staff this afternoon and talk more specifics, but we’re going to do a game. We’ll divide the teams up evenly. We will do a draft, which is always one of the most fun nights that we have each year in this program, when we have draft night. That’ll be tomorrow night. We announced to the team this morning who the head coaches are going to be. The head coach of the Black team will be our executive director of character and player development, Derrick Moore, also known as DMO. The head coach of the Garnet team will be our director of football operations, George Wynn, known around this program as Weezy. So you got Weezy and DMO going at it. Garnet team and Black team. Players got an amazing kick out of that this morning when we had Justin King put together a video to intro the head coaches. It’ll be a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. We’ll do the draft tomorrow night. The black team is on the clock. They have the first pick. They won the coin toss this morning as well.

“But great opportunity for our fans to come out, and we’re doing a game for them in a lot of ways, so they can get out and see the 2025 football team up close and personal. Great time to be together in Williams-Brice Stadium. Pray it’ll be a great crowd. Know it will be knowing our fans for sure, baseball beforehand. So get over there and watch the baseball team get a victory, and then come over to the stadium. Over to the stadium on Friday night and watch us compete and get better as a football team. But we’ll play a game, and we’ll divide the teams up in the draft tomorrow night and go from there. But it’ll be very similar to what we’ve done the last couple of years. Certainly, we’ve got some injuries that will affect the depth at certain positions, and we’ll navigate all that this afternoon in our staff meeting and leading up to the game on Friday. But I know our players are looking forward to competing, and we’re looking forward to being out there.

“As I always say, there’ll be a lot of recruits here on Friday. We’re not competing with any other college football teams this weekend for spring games on Friday night. So we’re the only show in the south, if you will, from a football standpoint. So there’s a lot of excitement, though. We’ll have a lot of guys here this weekend for that. Encourage Gamecock Nation to come out and support us and get a little good look at the 2025 Gamecocks as of April 18, for sure.”

Besides the injured guys, which you alluded to, anyone else that you know for sure won’t play on Friday?

“No, we’ll play everyone. No new injuries to report from last week. We’ve been healthy from that standpoint. So no one new from an injury standpoint. And then there’s nobody that we’re going to sit there and say he’s not playing, he’s not playing. Now, are you going to see LaNorris Sellers in there late into the fourth quarter? No. Are you going to see DQ Smith late into the fourth quarter? No. We’re going to try and get everybody in there and compete. But there’s nobody that we’re sitting there saying he’s not going to play. Competition is a core value of the program, and we’re going to let all those guys go in there and compete a little bit.”

Other than no injuries, what would make Friday a successful spring game in your opinion?

“No injuries for sure. And to me, it’s just seeing guys compete and just guys making plays. I think there’s certain players that any team that I’ve been a part of, they get in those environments, and they’re just, you know, whatever you want to call it, gamers, whatnot, where they just kind of step up and make plays when the lights come on, so to speak. So eager to see kind of who steps up.

“Efficiency. Still scarred last year. We kicked a field goal, and we only had 10 men on the field for the field goal, and I lost my you know what while mic’d up on SEC Network, and that stuff just drives me crazy. So, can we be clean and efficient with substitutions, special teams, offense, defense, very few penalties, things like that, just look like an efficient operation, and then be able to stay healthy? And then with us, it’s another opportunity to get better and compete. So walking off the field and just feeling like we’ve taken another step as a team out on the field during the game.”

Behind LaNorris Sellers at quarterback, how are you managing expectations going into Friday? What are you looking to see?

“Yeah, you know, seeing who can kind of operate the offense and operate efficiently. There’s a really good battle going on right now behind LaNorris, with primarily Air (Noland) and Cutter (Woods) and Dante (Reno) and those guys. All three of those guys were so much better on Saturday in our scrimmage than they were the week before. Not that they were bad the week before, but they took another step, and they’re just getting more and more comfortable. There’s less installation now because we’ve got so much of the offense in. It’s just repeating what we’ve been doing.

“We made the quarterbacks live on Saturday in our last scrimmage, meaning, normally, they’re wearing a green jersey, and they get tagged. We let them get tackled and hit on Saturday. We didn’t do that with LaNorris, but LaNorris did when he was a true freshman. But we did with Air and Dante and Jimmy (Francis) and Cutter for half the scrimmage, maybe. And that was good for them, just for those young quarterbacks. No, it’s not seven on seven. You can’t just sit back there all day, like you’ve got to get the ball out on time. But then also for our defense to be able to tackle those guys in space, and those guys did a nice job handling that. So they’ve gotten better. Want to see just who steps up and can make plays, and just take another step and get better. But that’s a very, very even competition right now in a lot of ways. And let’s see what happens this week in practice and then going into Saturday and kind of see where we are coming out of spring.”

As far as progress goes, what did you see from the second scrimmage that made you feel like you guys got better? Could you share any specific examples?

“The offense I thought played with more energy in the second scrimmage, more competitive spirit. I think the first time you got a lot of new guys on offense, and they’re kind of feeling their way through and don’t quite know what to expect. They were more, they started faster, I should say, offensively in the scrimmage. I thought that was successful. When the offense hit some plays, long plays, or got in scoring position on Saturday, the defense did a good job of responding to adversity, meaning a big play they gave up and bailed up and were able to hold them to field goals or get stops on fourth downs.

“As a head coach, it stinks, because every positive thing I say can also be construed as a negative. But offensively, they didn’t turn the ball over any on Saturday, and that’s really good. Now, from a defensive standpoint, it’s not so good because we’ve always been good at taking the ball away. But to have a 70, I think we ended up playing 74 plays. To have a 74-play scrimmage, not turn the ball over, that was a positive. Some short-yardage stops that our defense had on 3rd and 1, 4th and 1. That was good to see as well. And then I like the way that we finished. We always try and finish up our scrimmages with just a goal-line period where we just put the ball down on the two-yard line and just go at it for six plays. And it was good to see the way that both sides were good, if you will, in the fourth quarter at the very end, the spirit and competitiveness they played with.

“So there are a lot of things, but I think the biggest thing is just that you saw players take a step. You saw young guys at wide receiver and defensive back get better and just be more efficient and play better football on Saturday than they did the Saturday before. You see older guys that, whether it be Gabe Brownlow-Dindy or Monkell Goodwine or Rondo Porter or Nick Barrett, that just made more plays on the defensive line Saturday than what they did the previous Saturday. So I walked off the field excited because of the competitive spirit and knowing that we took a step, really, at every position.”

Do you have a number of snaps you want to see from the players to get a good evaluation?

“Yes and no. Before we have a scrimmage, we will talk about each position. And for example, last Friday, when we met as a staff, it was okay, Torrian Gray, you know, we don’t need to see, we know we’re going to have a six series, if you will, 6-10 place series is what we try and do. So we know, you know, we don’t have a depth chart for him, but we have an A group, B group, so we know the A group is going to be out there for the A group for that segment. It’s going to be out there for roughly 10 plays, and then what we call the B group is going to come in for roughly 10 plays. So we’ll have conversations that, hey, Torrian, with DQ and Jalen Kilgore and Judge Collier, let’s get them all the plays with the A group, and then maybe four to five here with this B group. And then let’s get them out because I really want to see Kendall Daniels and Jaquel Holman and on and on and on.

“So we’ll do that at all the positions. Coach Shula and I, he’ll come to me and tell me exactly what he’s thinking about the quarterbacks. And then we’ll do, you can’t really predict how many plays it’s going to be on Friday night or the spring game, because you don’t know how much. The Garnet team may be out there for a 20-play drive and eat up a whole first quarter. Who knows. But we will say, okay, Sterling (Lucas), we don’t need to see this guy more than about, you know, 10 plays, but we really need to see this guy as much as we possibly can. So it’s a little bit more structured with scrimmages, but there’s a general idea, certainly with spring games.”

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How has the defense looked so far this spring? What do you want to see from them on Friday that would give you great confidence moving forward?

“There’s so many new faces on the defense, and that’s the thing. Yeah, you go out there for the first day of spring ball and you’re missing all these guys that have been literally at every practice with you. Boogie (Huntley), Tonka (Hemingway), TJ (Sanders), Debo (Williams), O’Donnell (Fortune). Literally every practice since I got hired as the head coach, those guys were at practice, and the first time they weren’t was the first day of spring ball. And you look around, and you have so many new faces, but that’s exciting as a coach. I like the group. I really do. I think we’re longer at a lot of positions from a length standpoint. We are certainly more athletic in some ways. We’re just really, really young. But I’ve been pleased with the progress and the steps that the defense has taken this spring.

“The new transfers that have come in, I think, have really done a nice job of solidifying that they belong. The freshmen that have come in and continued to take steps, we’re really excited about all the new guys, transfers and freshmen. They’re all going to have a chance to help us as well. Now it’s continuing to just develop depth and get experience. You think about it, there are, as far as guys that have started games here at Carolina, there aren’t many returning on defense that have started. Now, there are a lot of really good new players, but they’re just inexperienced. But I’ve been pleased with the progress that they’ve made. They’ve been disruptive, and now we just got to be more consistent throughout practice. We’ll have a good period, then we’ll have a not-so-good period. Same thing with the offense, that’s kind of where, you know, going back to some of the questions about the spring game on Friday night, that would be a successful one is if I just saw consistency offensively and defensively and special teams, because we’ve been a little up and down, just, you know, some practices and some scrimmages.”

What are some of the things you’ve told the freshmen to kind of prepare them for that environment? Would you say this spring game helps them be ready for the actual regular season?

“Yeah, that’s one of the reasons we’re doing a spring game, so we can try and acclimate them to that. For so many of these guys, it will be the biggest crowd they’ve ever played in front of in their life. And to be able to expose that to them, is it going to be the same as going into Atlanta and playing on national television, I think we’re at 140 days, or a little over 140. No, but it’s a lot closer than what it is going into a stadium without anybody in there. So certainly that’s good experience for them, the freshmen, the newcomers, whoever it may be, the specialists, to be able to kick and punt and snap and hold and catch punts in front of a big crowd under the lights. They need that, and we’re certainly going to do that as much as we can on Friday night also.

“As far as what I’ve told them, nothing at this point. I’ll reiterate to them what we talked about the first time we went in the stadium a couple of weeks ago for our first scrimmage. That one, it’s an honor to get to play in that stadium on that field and making sure they have great gratitude about being able to go compete in Williams-Brice Stadium. I’ll reiterate that to them, but really, just have fun. The spring game is an opportunity to go compete and go get better, but have fun. But at the end of the day, you’re trying to win the game for your team and be the best you can be. So I’ll just reiterate that to them and understand and making sure they understand to have fun. They’ve earned the right to put on a uniform and go in that stadium on Friday night. But at the same time, don’t lose sight of what’s important, and that’s going out there and just doing your job and making plays.”

How do you think the offensive line has gelled through these practices in the spring?

“I feel good. I think Lonnie (Teasley) has done a really good job of just kind of mixing and matching and getting guys work in different places. I’ve seen multiple of our offensive linemen work at different spots, and we’re not getting ready for a game, so when we get into the season, yes, you want to get as much continuity as you can with that starting five. We’re not doing that right now. We’re trying to develop depth and mix and match and things like that. But I feel like they’ve done a really good job.

“We’ve had some guys that have been banged up a little bit and haven’t done as much in practice the last couple weeks, which is disappointing, but it’s given other guys opportunities to earn a role, and they’re certainly doing that. Some guys that have taken advantage of some other guys being injured, they’ve taken advantage of it and made some strides here this week as well. So we’ve recruited well at that position, you guys know that, and it’s time for us to just continue to take another step. And we’ve got some young faces like Shed Sarratt, and we’ve got some new faces like Boaz (Stanley), and then we’ve got some older returning faces like Cason Henry and (Jatavius Shivers), and it’s a good group. They’ve been working really, really hard as well.

“So before we watch the spring game on Friday night, and we see whoever trots out there with LaNorris and just assume that, ‘There’s your 2025 offensive line!’ We’re drafting, okay, so we’re drafting an offensive line. So Lonnie and myself and the rest of the offensive staff, we’re going to sit down and we’re going to break up the offensive line where it’s equal, where it’s not necessarily, here’s your five, and then they go with LaNorris. We’re going to have just a mix and match. We’ll have a right tackle, we’ll have a left tackle, we’ll have a center, we’ll have a guard, and we’ll have a guard. And then when you’re making your picks, you don’t draft individually. You just draft this offensive line or draft that offensive line. So that’s my PSA for the week as well. When we’re trying to determine who the starting offensive line is, whoever tries out there with LaNorris, it’s for the Garnet team or the Black team, whichever team LaNorris is on Friday night. But that doesn’t mean that’s our starting offensive line coming out of spring.”

What can you share about the addition of Demon Clowney?

“Yeah, certainly depth, for sure. Got a neat story. Brought him in on a visit, and really just trying to learn as much about him as you can and his story and his journey, and he’s got a fascinating story, for sure. Good size, good ability. Really impressed a lot of people in the building when he was here on his visit. A guy that, certainly as you guys know, we need to increase the depth and competition in that room, and he gives us the ability to do that.”

How do you approach the spring game or spring practice? Has it changed over your last four years as a head coach, like, do you tweak anything? Was there something you came into it, and that’s different now?

“Not really. I mean, every year you’re kind of tweaking, and you look back at what you did the year before and how to be better. Or I look back on what I did last year, or what we did in practice 12 last year. I look back at notes, and then I adjust today based on that, but not a ton.

“It’s a little bit different this year. Instead of getting 15 practices, we’re doing 14. So that’s a little bit of adjustment just with how we’re finishing up the spring, because you’ve got to combine a couple days, if you will. Yeah, I think every team’s different. You’re constantly tweaking and adjusting, but overall, the general philosophy really hasn’t changed a whole lot since year one. You’re hopefully always trying to, you know, learn and get better and do things better the next year than what you did the first year, but probably more similarities and differences.”

Are you seeing a difference in Sellers’ approach or his personality? Is he more of a vocal leader now, or is he still kind of quiet?

“No, he’s still quiet. But I do see him being willing to speak up more than what he did last year. At this time, he was trying to earn the starting job at this point last year and was still a freshman, and hadn’t even finished a year on campus, or, I guess, yeah, he had been in a year at that point, no, year and a half. You know what I mean. He was still a freshman, he hadn’t started yet. I see him. He’s still quiet, but certainly, let’s just be real. He’s the leader of the offense. He’s the leader of this football team.

“So whether he likes it or not, he’s got to embrace that role in his own way. Don’t be somebody you’re not. But he realizes that his voice carries a lot of weight, and I’ve noticed him being willing to speak up and be assertive, whether it be encouraging or being demanding towards wide receivers and route running and things like that, as well. He’s done a nice job in his own way. Don’t be somebody that you’re not, but also understand that you’re the quarterback, and people on this team respect the heck out of you. Use that voice to lead, because there’s certainly a void of leadership from last year’s team with what we lost.”

What was your reaction to what went down at Tennessee over the weekend, and how do you feel about your organization’s preparation for avoiding those kinds of situations?

“I saw it like everybody. I mean, I’m not trying to avoid the question. I got my own program to think about, and that’s what I’m trying to do. I mean, it’s unfortunate. I don’t know the whole story and who was told what and everything, but got a lot of respect, don’t know (Nico Iamaleava). Got a lot of respect for Coach (Josh) Heupel and how he does things, and the people in that program. I spent three years there, and a lot of people still in that building that are in different roles. So got a lot of respect for their whole organization.

“And as far as us, we’re doing what we do every day, and that’s just be real, be honest, be transparent, be genuine. Treat our players the right way and be who we say we are. That’s honestly it. It wasn’t like I saw that news and all of a sudden said, ‘Oh my God, you know, we gotta start doing this tomorrow so this doesn’t happen to us.’ It’s just being who we say we are in recruiting and who our players know us as. The culture in our program is really, really strong. I think that’s been evident and been on display for a while now here at this place, and nothing’s changed. Does it mean that you’re not going to lose players to the portal in different instances? No. We’ve lost two in the last three weeks. Disappointed that those two young men decided to leave. But certainly wish them well, and we’ll help them in any way and understand why they left. But for us, it’s just to continue to do what we do and love these guys up, care about them, be honest with them, and make this a program they want to be a part of.”

From a special-teams standpoint, it sounds like Mason Love has done a little bit of everything. Would you be okay if a guy held punter and placekicker duties, or do you prefer a guy being one or the other?

“No, I was talking with Joe (DeCamillis) the other day, like with Mason, how we could potentially have him kick, punt and hold. I don’t know if that’s humanly possible, but he’s pretty good at all three as well. We’re looking into that. But no, is it ideal? No. Spencer did that, right? Lanning? Yeah, when we were here before, Spencer Lanning did that, and he punted, he kicked, and did both. Is it ideal? No, but it’s doable.

“From our standpoint, I’ve got no problem with it. It’s not putting too much on him. And then Mason’s still competing to be the punter. He’s competing to be the placekicker. That’s a heated competition right now. Don’t want to put too much on his plate where he’s not as good as he can be at one of them, because he’s battling both of them, if that makes sense. But if it turns out that he or William Joyce or Peyton Argent, or whoever, can handle both, I’ve got no problem with it. That’s great. But we also want to make sure that we’re allowing him to maximize his potential at both positions as well. Good question.”

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