South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer wins National Coach of the Week award

South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks handled the 10th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. The 44-20 dismantling resulted in a lot of national recognition for the program, including some individual awards.

One honor came in for the Gamecock head coach as Shane Beamer was named the Dodd Trophy National Coach of the Week.

From the South Carolina Athletics press release:

Officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. today announced that South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer has been selected as The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Presented by PNC Bank.

The Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week award honors a football coach who led his team to a significant victory during the previous week, while also embodying the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

Beamer and the Gamecocks ran past No. 10 Texas A&M, 44-20 on Saturday evening at Williams-Brice Stadium. South Carolina racked up 286 rushing yards and outscored the Aggies 24-0 in the second half on the way to capturing the Gamecocks’ third win over an AP Top-10 team under Beamer.

A trio of Gamecocks spearheaded the offense against Texas A&M. Redshirt freshman quarterback LaNorris Sellers had a career night against the Aggies, throwing for 244 yards and two touchdowns in the air to go along with 106 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Senior running back Raheim Sanders added another 144 rushing yards, while tight end Joshua Simon finished with 132 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Coach Beamer has now led the Gamecocks to a 25-21 record through his four seasons in Columbia. In his first year leading the Gamecocks in 2021, he tied the school record for most wins by a first-year head coach with a 7-6 mark. He continued to build from his first-year success when he took down three ranked opponents on his way to an eight-win season in 2022, becoming the first coach to produce eight wins in a year since 2017.

Before leading the Gamecocks, he was an assistant coach at the University of Oklahoma from 2018-2020. He also coached alongside Steve Spurrier from 2007-2010 in various assistant coaching roles before heading to Virginia Tech to join his father and former Dodd Trophy winner, Frank Beamer, for four seasons.

“This was a dominating win over a ranked opponent who came into Columbia as the SEC’s only undefeated team in conference play,” said Chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation Jim Terry. “The Gamecocks already took multiple top-ranked teams to the wire this season and it was rewarding to see them pull out the victory this time.”

Off the football field, Beamer’s players have had success in the classroom during his tenure, recording a 968 Academic Progress Rate and a 90 Graduation Success Rate. The Graduation Success Rate measures the number of student-athletes who graduate from their school within six years of entering.

In the community, Beamer has committed himself to numerous charitable initiatives supporting elementary schools and students in the counties surrounding South Carolina’s campus. He and his wife, Emily, launched the Beamer Family Foundation, which works alongside elementary schools in the Richland County area under the YOU CAN initiative. These schools receive school supplies, funding, university student volunteer help and much more as a part of the initiative launched by the Beamers.

Beamer has also competed in the Southern Company Peach Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament for the past four years, raising $75,000 for charity. He has split his winnings between The Beamer Family Foundation and Herma’s Readers, a charity dedicated to promoting literacy in young children by donating new and used books to elementary schools.

“This was now Coach Beamer’s third victory over a top-10 team since leading the South Carolina football program,” said Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and President Gary Stokan. “His successes aren’t limited to just the gridiron though. He’s also led the Gamecocks in the classroom and has left his mark in the South Carolina community since arriving in Columbia four seasons ago.”

The Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank – along with the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week Award – celebrates the head coach of a FBS team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity.

A panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member will identify the final list of potential recipients at the conclusion of the 2024 season. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during the week of the College Football Playoff Quarterfinal at the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.