South Carolina had high hopes for the 2023 season.

After a 2022 season that saw the Gamecocks go 8-5, the Gamecocks were looking to take the next big step in the SEC. Instead, South Carolina went backwards, capping the 2023 campaign with a 5-7 record and no bowl game.

Now, said South Carolina coach Shane Beamer, the Gamecocks have their sights set on redeeming themselves in 2024.

“We wanted to get right back to work,” Beamer said at his press conference on Wednesday. “We had to give them off after the last game, but we got right back in the weight room for two weeks. Those guys were in there the first day they were allowed back in the weight room. The whole team was in there to work.”

Beamer said the exit interviews gave him perspective on players returning next season and the program as a whole.

“It was good for me to have those exit interviews, take a step back, look at every area in this program and how we can continue to be better,” Beamer said. “It’s good to talk to them and see how we can continue to be better.”

The Gamecocks had a chance to qualify for bowl season in their last game of the regular season, but fell 16-7 to Clemson to abruptly cap their campaign.

Despite a disappointing season, Beamer said his team realized “they’re not far off.”

“The games that we lost…we were in every game and had an opportunity to win it. It’s very true for us,” Beamer said.

All-in-all, Beamer said it’s about analyzing South Carolina’s next move and “getting on the other side of that thin line.”

“Our players realize that as well. They’re hungry,” Beamer said. “You see that with guys that are coming back. They’ve shown that since the end of the season.”