How Shane Beamer's belief laid foundation for seniors returning, getting South Carolina back on track

No one likes to talk about 2023, especially not at South Carolina. But to see where the program was around this time a year ago to now is remarkable to say the least.

Two days after South Carolina lost to rival Clemson to cap off a 5-7 season, Shane Beamer stood in front of his players in the team weight room. Being as blunt as he could be, he told them how much the end-of-season banquet “sucked” because they weren’t going to go to a bowl game like they had in the first two years of his tenure. Instead, they were getting ready to endure a long offseason filled with many uncertainties about the future.

While Beamer believed the program wasn’t far off from getting back on course, not everyone felt as optimistic as he did. Given that star quarterback Spencer Rattler and wide receiver Xavier Legette were NFL bound, some were unsure of what was to come in 2024.

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Until there was evidence that next season would be different, it was going to be hard for everyone to share Beamer’s sentiment. That even included some of his own players.

“There’s a player that left our program after last season and one of the reasons he told me that we were leaving is he said, ‘I don’t think we’re going to be very good, and we don’t have a quarterback.’ Like he told me that,” Beamer said.

“And I said, ‘Well, I disagree. We’ve got us a quarterback. You’ve seen our quarterbacks at practice. And we’re going to be good around him.’ And that player said, ‘I don’t know, coach, it ain’t looking too good.'”

Beamer didn’t reveal the identity of said player. But as South Carolina is fresh off its seventh win of the year with two more regular season games still to play, the fourth-year head coach’s confidence has seemingly been rewarded.

“(The unnamed player is) somewhere else right now and there’s a lot of guys that are here and are glad they’re here, as well,” Beamer said.

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As the Gamecocks prepare for their final home game against Wofford on Saturday, there will be numerous players who will be honored on senior day. There are 22 players who don’t have any eligibility remaining after this year. There are others who could also walk depending on whether they decide to return to South Carolina in 2025.

But to have as many impactful seniors as there are right now, that goes back to what Beamer saw from the first day of the offseason. He didn’t think it was as much of a challenge to plead for players to come back but rather help them understand his vision of the future.

“It was more just clarity and showing them here’s why it’s going to be different in ’24 and listening to them also,” he said. “Not that there was a bunch of complaints about last season, but me listening to them and hearing from them, what their thought were in regards to ’23 and how to be better.”

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In the same vein, Beamer wanted to be realistic with his players, especially when it came to their desires to play at the next level. For those who came back for another year, their chances of going pro have certainly gone up with how well the Gamecocks have performed this season.

“You always want to do what’s best for the young man if they felt it was best to move on then we would support them and wish them well,” he said. “But it also goes to this: NFL feedback. Here’s the feedback you’ve gotten from the NFL that recommends you come back for another year because here’s where you would most likely be projected to be drafted if you did leave.”

It was never going to be easy to turn things around, let alone in less than a year. But as the end of the regular season nears, South Carolina won’t be hearing the same old speech from Beamer again. He’s gotten the program back on track and still has more time to make this season the best of his tenure. Maybe even 10 wins? It’s possible.

“Is there a sense of urgency? Is the practice still spirited and intense? All the answers to that were yes,” Beamer said. “Hopefully, we can continue to have a really good week and lead into Saturday.”

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