Shane Beamer's coaching tree only continuing to grow at South Carolina

As Shane Beamer got ready to go on SEC Nation in Atlanta on Saturday, he got a call from Dowell Loggains. The second-year offensive coordinator received a head coaching offer from Appalachian State.

Beamer kept it real with Loggains and told him to not jump at the first offer he got but find the right fit for he and his family. With Loggains already in Boone, North Carolina, he felt this was the right place for him. And so, he accepted the job with the Mountaineers.

While Beamer couldn’t help but be happy for his assistant coach, he’s now in a situation he knows all too well where he will have to replace another assistant on his staff. He will begin to conduct his third offensive coordinator search in his tenure at South Carolina.

This has become more of a regular trend for Beamer and his coaches at South Carolina. With team success comes more interest from other programs looking for new coaches. Loggains is now the third assistant from any of Beamer’s staffs to leave for a head coaching gig elsewhere.

“The program is going to going to be fine and continue to move forward,” Beamer said. “… There’s a lot of guys that get head coaching opportunities from coordinator positions. You hire great people, and you have people in place and and it becomes an attractive position to people on the outside or promoting people from within and we’ve got some flexibility.”

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In just four seasons, Beamer has developed a respectable coaching tree. Loggains is set to officially be introduced as App State’s head coach on Monday afternoon. Last year, special teams coordinator Pete Lembo and tight ends coach Jody Wright were both plucked by teams with a head coaching vacancy. Lembo is now at Buffalo, while Wright is at Murray State.

Wright’s first season with the Racers was a tough one with the team going 1-11 in 2024. Then again, he has to build up a program that had only won four games in the previous two seasons.

Meanwhile up north, things couldn’t have gone much better for Lembo in his first season at Buffalo. The Bulls went 8-4 overall and finished tied for third in the MAC and will now be playing in the Bahamas Bowl on Jan. 4, 2025.

“Pete had an awesome year. He just texted me about our bowl destination,” Beamer said. “I can’t wait to see the pictures of Pete and the boys from Buffalo down in the Bahamas where they’re going to be for their bowl game, as well. That’ll be a shock to the system, as well, coming out of Buffalo heading down there.

“I hate losing people. I do. Emily and I were at a friend’s house for little dinner party last year when Pete called to tell me he was taking the job. It’s a bittersweet moment. You’re happy for him but you’re sad to see him go.”

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With some new turnover on his staff, it’s becoming more common for Beamer to have to go through the hiring process at least once during the offseason. In this case, the task at hand is a big one. He’ll be looking for a new offensive coordinator to work with his star quarterback LaNorris Sellers and the offense.

It’s not necessarily a bad thing that Beamer is having to consistently replace coaches, though. It just means he’s doing something right.

“It says that we’ve got great people here in this program that believe in this place. That everyone makes each other better,” he said. “I’d love to pat myself on the back and say that I’m a great evaluator of coaches and whatnot, as well. But no, it just means that we’ve won some football games and that I hired some really good people.”

And it’s not like Beamer is upset that his coaches keep leaving for new programs. That’s what he wants for them. If a good opportunity comes up, he wants them to do what they feel is best for their future.

“If guys have an ultimate goal of being a head coach, you want them to be able to achieve their goals,” Beamer said. “And I tell our coaches all the time that I want to help you. I don’t want you ever leaving for a lateral move, but at the end of the day, your happiness and your goals are important to me. If there’s any way that I can help, please let me know. So, credit to them.”

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