Shane Beamer wants 'no complacency' heading into new season
Shane Beamer couldn’t help but let out a big chuckle. That’s what happens after beating Clemson for the first time in nine years.
“It’s definitely more enjoyable in South Carolina,” Beamer said while continuing to try and hold back a grin. “Being able to be out and about in the community, it’s fun. I know how important that rivalry is, I’ve said that before. … When you win it makes living in that state a lot better without a doubt.”
And it’s not just a win over Clemson that has made life better. South Carolina also crushed Tennessee one week earlier, ending last season on fire.
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Beamer would be lying if he didn’t enjoy that feeling. Life is good. But with a new year around the corner, those wins don’t have the same meaning now.
“Like I tell our players, I’m not going around patting myself on the back. That’s in the past. Now we’ve got to figure out how to do it more often,” Beamer said.
The Gamecocks’ 2023 schedule isn’t easy by any means. According to On3, it’s the 11th-hardest schedule in the country. They open the season in Charlotte against a good North Carolina team followed by road games at Georgia and Tennessee in late September.
They’ll also face Clemson to close out the regular season at Williams-Brice Stadium.
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In some ways, it’s going to take some of that same magic South Carolina found late last year to pull off big wins again. But Beamer knows nothing will be given to his team.
“It’s a big thing with us and a big message is no complacency,” Beamer said. “We can’t assume that because things went well for us last season, because we won eight games and accomplished a lot of firsts, that it’s just automatically going to go that way again because we have got returning players.
“We have got 38 new guys on our football team and I know in today’s college football, rosters turn over more than they ever have, but 38 is a really high number when you talk about incoming freshmen and transfers. So we have gone from two wins to seven wins to eight wins, but it’s going to take that much more in every area.”
With a lot of new faces on the roster, there will undoubtedly be some competition for earning spots. Beamer said he expects to play true freshmen at “every single position” this year.
“Our challenge has been to be better in every single area of our program, every department than they were in 2022, and we are well on our way to doing that,” Beamer said. “We are going to be a young football team. … So we have to continue to grow up and get better in a hurry.”
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Besides personnel, finding consistency will also be vital. It took time for South Carolina to find its offensive identity before getting going at the end of last year.
“Yes, we had those two great wins but that’s the same team that didn’t score an offensive touchdown the week before against Florida as well,” Beamer said. “We have got to be more consistent, starting with me, but certainly there’s a lot that you can take from those two games that will help us going forward.”
At the same time, it would be hard to say those wins didn’t serve as a “springboard” for this year. The excitement is as high as ever in Columbia.
“People want to be a part of what we are doing. This program is not for everybody but make no mistake about it, the culture in our football game has never been stronger since I took over as the head coach in 2020,” Beamer said. “So we have got sold-out Gamecock Club events that I’ve going to right now. Our season ticket sales are up 106 percent they were telling me the other day and that just is building off the momentum that our fan base showed when they took over the City of Jacksonville for the Gator Bowl back in December as well.”
