Is the clock ticking on Shane Beamer’s South Carolina tenure?
By Jeff Moeller
Published:
With Virginia Tech’s recent hire of James Franklin, the Shane Beamer rumors of the Tech alum and former assistant coach returning to his alma mater can be shelved.
At some point, Beamer heading back to Virginia Tech seemed like a natural outcome, as he would follow in his father Frank’s footsteps with the Hokies’ program.
Instead, the outlook of Beamer’s future at South Carolina became bleaker.
The Gamecocks (3-7 overall, 1-7 in the SEC) – mired in a 5-game losing streak — recently blowing a 27-point lead to third-ranked Texas A&M may have been the proverbial last dagger. There also is the hire of new athletic director Jeremiah Donati, which many believe doesn’t entirely work in Beamer’s favor.
Yet, there is always the buyout clause, which has suddenly become a prominent point with coaches whose jobs appear to be in jeopardy. Beamer has an approximate buyout of $27.5 million of his current $50.4 million deal that runs through the 2030 season. He is making $8.15 million this year.
However, that may not save Beamer.
The clock is ticking.
The torches and pitchforks were out at Penn State, and they wasted little time pulling the plug on Franklin after he failed to consistently win against ranked teams and had lost to Northwestern as part of a 3-game losing streak. Penn State eventually settled on $9 million to Franklin instead of his contracted $49 million buyout.
Back to Beamer.
Coming off a 9-4 season last year, expectations were high for the Gamecocks, as they were the AP’s 13th ranked team in the preseason poll. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers was high on the Heisman list. A postseason Playoff bid was presumed to be well within their grasp.
South Carolina began the year with a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech in front of an ESPN audience on a Sunday night at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium. It wasn’t the anticipated blowout, and that now looms as a telltale sign.
The Gamecocks followed it with a 38-10 rout of South Carolina State, and expectations still remained high. Then the trap door opened on them.
South Carolina fell part in the second half in a 31-7 lopsided loss to Vanderbilt. It then let a 14-12 first half lead against Missouri slip away in a 29-20 loss.
A convincing 35-13 victory over Kentucky initially appeared to turn the tide, but it soon resulted in ground swell in the opposite direction.
Their current 5-game losing streak followed in which they were down 14-7 to Oklahoma and lost 26-7, and also led Alabama 19-14 to start the fourth quarter before a 29-22 loss.
In the process, offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley was fired and offensive coordinator Mike Shula was later shown the door. The Gamecocks have allowed 37 sacks and their offense is ranked last overall in the SEC, averaging just over 20 points per contest. Defensively, the Gamecocks rank 10th, allowing 23 points per contest.
Sellers’ season has been lackluster, with 9 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. The dual-threat QB hasn’t thrown for more than 244 yards or rushed for more than 81 in a game this season.
Looking at it all in a nutshell, it has been extremely disappointing. The Gamecocks’ second-half breakdowns are inexcusable, and it falls back upon Beamer and his staff.
For whatever reason, South Carolina hasn’t been able to finish its share of winnable games. The Gamecocks have found more ways to lose than win.
As he enters his final 2 games this season, Beamer has an overall 32-28 mark, but he has a 16-24 record in SEC games. Since he took over for Will Muschamp in 2021, Beamer has produced records of 7-6, 8-5, 5-7, and 9-4. Through the first 4 years, it certainly looked like there were some inconsistencies.
If you believe in fate, Muschamp was dismissed in 2020 one day after the Gamecocks lost to Texas A&M on Nov. 15. Muschamp had an overall 16-10 record his first 2 seasons and then slumped to 4-8. He was released after a 2-5 start in 2020, and had an overall mark of 28-20 in 3-plus seasons.
Despite the current chaotic state, Beamer’s job still appears to be safe after this season. He can certainly help secure it and has the luxury of having home games against Coastal Carolina (6-4) and rival Clemson (5-5).
However, the Gamecocks can’t take anything for granted, and it likely won’t be easy.
Through it all, though, Beamer has pitched a positive perspective, even already alluding to next season. He has tried to divert attention away from a restless fan base that expected more by evaluating the perception and reality of the season.
“Nobody thought we’d be sitting here right now with 2 games left knowing that (bowl eligibility is) off the table,” Beamer said recently. “Competition is a core value of our program.
“To me, the best competitors are the ones that are intrinsically motivated, meaning they don’t need something out there to motivate them. They just love to go compete. I know our guys do. They hurt. We’re going through this right now, and we’re going to be stronger for it next season.”
For Beamer, to talk about next season could be a bit premature. South Carolina’s final 2 showings against Coastal Carolina and Clemson will be a good indicator.
In 2026, the Gamecocks’ current docket doesn’t get any easier as they will host Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Tennessee and Texas A&M and travel to Alabama, Arkansas, Florida and Oklahoma.
Beamer may slide into 2026, but the ticking clock is likely to get louder.
