How Shane Beamer is quickly reshaping the perception around South Carolina football

The State caught up with a handful of national media personalities this month at the American Football Coaches Association convention in Charlotte to discuss the state of the South Carolina Gamecocks football program.

Here, we asked each pundit about the perception of South Carolina after Year 2 under Shane Beamer. The Gamecocks finished 7-6 in 2021 and 8-5 in 2022.

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN

“He’s really enhanced their profile. It’s a program that you didn’t really think about a lot in the SEC. He has been visible. I think they’ve had certainly some wins to back it up. Their two-week stretch (beating No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson) is about as good you can have for that program, and that’s important.

“Shane is very intuitive with the media. And not a lot of coaches, I think, grasp that part of it. I think he’s shown that you don’t always have to be a play-caller and a coordinator and go the traditional route to understand what goes into that job these days. I think so far so good. I mean, (South Carolina is) a place it’s hard to sustain. But they have supported him with this new contract, doing things with NIL. I think it’s a place that you have a chance to continue to have some consistency, which is important.”

Richard Johnson, Sports Illustrated

“I’ll tell you this, I gotta stop making preseason predictions on South Carolina, because they keep eclipsing them and they keep shutting me up. I mean, look, they did what they had to do with Shane, giving him that extension. I texted Shane and told him next time I’m in Columbia, dinner’s on him. But you’re at a point where you got Spencer (Rattler), you got (Austin Stogner), you got guys in this year and showed South Carolina can be a destination place. You bring these guys in and you have the success that they had later in the season, that can create a beacon for South Carolina.

“You’ve got Florida — who the hell knows about my dear alma mater? Obviously, Georgia is gonna do what they’re gonna do. Tennessee, you’d expect to kind of maintain the level of success. I know the league is gonna change pretty soon here as far as divisional (structure) and all kind of stuff. But you’ve got a chance right now in the East to do something for a little bit.

“I think one of the things that I may be a little unfair about evaluating South Carolina is holding them to the standard of 2010-ish. I don’t even think that’s the standard they hold themselves as far as a recruiting class, recruiting ability, all that kind of stuff. They’re trying to find a way to do it that’s best for them. And I think after two years, you’ve got a proof of concept that this thing looks like it’s built on solid ground.”

Brandon Marcello, 247Sports

“I think they’re on the precipice of becoming a top 15 program over the next several years. They’ve got to be able to capitalize on what they’ve been able to do in the transfer portal the last two years and be able to build around Spencer Rattler so that in this upcoming season, you’ve gotta get to the nine-, 10-win-type of year to solidify yourself. And sometimes the most difficult step to make is the one to become a 10-win team.

“South Carolina’s got to go against Tennessee, obviously, Georgia, but they’re in a spot now where I think they’ve elevated themselves above Kentucky and above Florida. They’re probably the No. 2 (or No. 3) team in the SEC East. Can they be No. 1? I don’t know. But being No. 2 in the SEC (East) still means you’re probably a top 15 teams.”