South Carolina football locks up Shane Beamer with big money extension

The University of South Carolina has locked head football coach Shane Beamer up with a big money extension.

On Friday, USC’s Board of Trustees met and approved a raise and contract extension for Beamer that puts him under contract until 2030. His salary, beginning in 2025, will increase to $8.15 Million. That number will grow by $100,000 annually during the life of the new contract. That means that in 2030, Beamer will earn $8.65 Million.

Of note, Beamer’s contract buyout (if initiated by the University) did not change. That number was worth 65 percent of the remaining contract value. However, if Coach Beamer were to leave the Gamecocks on his own, he would owe the University of South Carolina a buyout, as well. If he left in 2025, he would have to pay a $5 Million buyout. That number would decrease by $1 Million each year until there was no buyout in 2030.

Beamer’s previous contract ran through 2027 and placed him in the bottom fourth of the SEC in annual compensation. He had signed that extension following an 8-5 showing in 2022. Ray Tanner was the man in charge when Beamer signed his previous contract, but new AD Jeremiah Donati has finalized his second major coaching contract since taking over earlier this month.

Now, under contract through 2030, the Gamecock headman will rank 9th in the conference in pay (roughly tied with Oklahoma’s Brent Venables) and 15th nationally. All of Beamer’s full-time, on-field assistants received extensions and raises earlier this offseason.

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The new deal follows a strong 9-4 season for the Gamecocks. In fact, the 2024 campaign was South Carolina’s sixth 9-win regular season in program history. It was the third season in four years in which the Beamer-led Gamecocks outperformed their preseason Las Vegas projections.

No coach in South Carolina football history has more wins through his first four seasons than Shane Beamer. Beamer broke Steve Spurrier’s old record (set from 2005-2008) with 29 victories over the past four years.

Beamer also has recruited at a high level since becoming the head coach in Columbia. South Carolina signed its third top 20 high school class in a row this December. At the time of this writing, the Gamecocks are 11th nationally in the class of 2026.

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In the USC press release issued in conjunction with Beamer’s contract, Donati made it clear that it was a priority to secure the South Carolina football program’s future with Shane Beamer at the helm.

“The culture and commitment to excellence that Coach Beamer has built in our football program shows that we are headed in the right direction and on a strong upward trajectory,” said Donati. “Coach Beamer has made clear his desire to be at the University of South Carolina and this extension shows our collective support for him as the leader of our football program.”

In the release, Beamer reiterated his commitment to the school and program.

“I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and to lead our football program as the head coach,” said Beamer. “Thank you to President Amirides, Thad Westbrook, and the Board of Trustees, Ray Tanner and Jeremiah Donati for their trust and support. As I’ve said before, this is my dream job,” he added. “My family and I love being here. We’ve accomplished a lot on and off the field over the past four years, but we’re not satisfied. There’s more to do and we’re just getting started.”

Beamer’s new contract follows a historic deal for South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley. Staley signed her extension last week making her the highest-paid women’s college basketball coach ever.

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