Shane Beamer emphasizing 'intense' atmosphere for big recruiting weekend

Shane Beamer didn’t mince words when talking about how big this weekend is for South Carolina in a lot of different aspects.

The Gamecocks are not only hosting the top-ranked team in the country and SEC East rival Georgia. But they’re also bringing in a five-star official visitor this weekend in Nyckoles Harbor.

Because of that, Beamer is campaigning hard for a raucous crowd despite the game kicking off at noon.

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“If you follow recruiting at all at Carolina you know how important this recruit this weekend is from a recruiting standpoint and the fantastic young men we’re going to have on campus,” Beamer said.

“We have to do our part as a football team, coaches and players. We’re working really, really hard to do that. But we need our fan base to do their part as well on Saturday. Knowing what I know about Gamecock nation I have no doubt we will.”

On3 ranks Harbor as the No. 16 player in the country and the top-rated athlete for his class. He comes in at No. 10 nationally in the On3 Consensus rankings.

It’s Harbor’s third trip to Columbia during his recruitment and would be the highest-rated player in South Carolina’s 2023 recruiting class.

Which is why Beamer is pushing for a big crowd in the stands Saturday afternoon.

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“I know there are a lot of people who wanted this to be a night game. Frankly, no one cares. It’s a noon game. So we set the standard for what Williams-Brice Stadium should be like against Georgia State,” Beamer said.

“We’re not all of a sudden going to be less than that on Saturday at noon because we’re disappointed it’s not a night game. We have a great opportunity for our fan base to show the entire country on national television what Williams-Brice Stadium and a game day at South Carolina is like.”

South Carolina will also host a crop of other prospects Saturday as well, trying to build on a top-20 2023 class and lay the foundation for 2024.

The Gamecocks rank No. 17 nationally with 20 commitments. On3 considers11 of the Gamecocks’ 20 commitments blue-chip prospects. Seven of the top eight commitments are on the line of scrimmage as well. The Gamecocks have also landed three of the top four players from the state.

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“I love where we are from a recruiting standpoint with the class of 2023 guys and where we are with the class of 2024 guys,” Beamer said. “We’ve worked really, really hard at it going back to when I first got hired. As you guys know it’s a line of scrimmage league in this conference. Our recruiting class I think emphasizes that. Keeping the best players in South Carolina at home is a priority. Knock on wood we’re doing a good job of that in this year’s class and next year as well.”

Beamer also emphasized a big crowd Saturday to try and create an intimidating atmosphere to try and upset No. 1 Georgia.

Georgia hasn’t played a true road game since the end of last regular season. Georgia hasn’t played a game in front of a full Williams-Brice Stadium since 2018. The last time the Bulldogs were in Columbia was during the 2020 season.

“This will be the first time Georgia has played a true away game this year as well. We need to make it really, really difficult and uncomfortable,” Beamer said. “We need to make sure that’s an asset for us. Arkansas was a great environment last Saturday at 11 a.m. central. Sure as hell we can make a noon start really, really intense and awesome on Saturday afternoon.”

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