How Shane Beamer's first 3 South Carolina seasons are better, worse than Steve Spurrier, Will Muschamp

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer signed a two-year extension to become the highest-paid coach in program history in January, but the third-year coach is at a potential crossroads in 2023.

The Gamecocks (2-5, 1-4 SEC) are off to their worst start since Will Muschamp's midseason firing during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. The team's last start worse than 2-5 excluding that outlier was in 1999 when it went 0-11 in the ACC.

South Carolina has not had a 10-win season since legendary former coach Steve Spurrier, who led three consecutive 11-2 seasons from 2011 through 2013 and brought the Gamecocks their lone SEC East championship in 2010. However, the winningest coach in program history ended on a sour note, resigning six games into the 2015 season after an 0-4 start in conference play.

There's a portion of the South Carolina fan base now questioning whether Beamer is the future of the program as reaching the six-win bowl eligibility threshold looks increasingly unlikely in 2023. Here's how Beamer's first three seasons compare to Muschamp and Spurrier, and how their tenures should shape Beamer's expectations.

Shane Beamer's first two years vs Steve Spurrier, Will Muschamp

There's no question Beamer overachieved in his first two years, elevating South Carolina from 2-8 under Muschamp in 2020 to a 6-6 regular season in 2021 and a win in the Duke's Mayo Bowl over North Carolina. The Gamecocks catapulted into a national spotlight thanks to back-to-back upsets of No. 5 Tennessee and No. 8 Clemson at the end of 2022. The eight-win regular season gave South Carolina a berth to the Gator Bowl and its highest ranking from the College Football Playoff since it was established in 2014.

Spurrier also made bowl games in his first two years and had the same record as Beamer, losing to Missouri in the 2005 Independence Bowl then beating Houston in the 2006 Liberty Bowl. Even Spurrier's records were quite similar to Beamer's, going 7-5 in his first year and 8-5 in his second. He performed slightly better in the SEC with an 8-8 record over his first two seasons to Beamer's 7-9.

Muschamp is not fondly remembered at South Carolina, but he had arguably a better start to his tenure than either Spurrier or Beamer. He matched Beamer's Year 1 regular season at 6-6, though a loss to South Florida in the Birmingham Bowl put him just below .500. The Gamecocks then went 9-4 in 2017 thanks to a win over Michigan in the Outback Bowl, and that remains the team's winningest season since Spurrier went 11-2 in 2013. Muschamp's 2017 team finished second in the SEC East, matching Spurrier's standing in 2005.

Comparing 2023 slump to Spurrier, Muschamp worst seasons

Spurrier also had a downturn in his third season like the one Beamer is currently experiencing, so it's fair to assume their are factors beyond leadership at play in the transition process contributing to the Gamecocks' 2023 skid. Spurrier went 6-6 in 2007, his worst record excluding the incomplete 2015 season. It was the only year he did not bring South Carolina to a bowl game and marked his worst finish in the SEC East at No. 5.

Muschamp's worst season was undoubtedly the one that got him fired in 2020, but his least-successful complete season was the year prior in 2019. The Gamecocks went 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the SEC during a bizarre season in which they lost to unranked Missouri and Tennessee by 20 points but upset No. 3 Georgia in Athens in two overtimes. Muschamp, now the Georgia defensive coordinator, remains the most recent coach to beat the Bulldogs at home.

It's possible that South Carolina finishes below Muschamp's worst record this season. The Gamecocks won't be favored in another SEC matchup besides Vanderbilt, and Jacksonville State looks like the only other likely victory. However, it's unwise to count out South Carolina's upset potential under Beamer with both Kentucky and Clemson looking vulnerable in the final two weeks of the year. Just an upset of Clemson would largely appease the fan base, regardless of the team's final win total.

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How Shane Beamer's recruiting progress compares

The area in which Beamer consistently outpaces both Spurrier and Muschamp is recruiting. After inheriting the No. 80 freshman class in the country from Muschamp in 2021, Beamer's 2022 class climbed to No. 24 in the 247Sports Composite and reached the program's highest ranking since 2012 at No. 16 with the 2023 class. Though there is still a long way until the early signing period opens in December, the Gamecocks' 2024 class ranks No. 18 nationally and includes five-star commitment from out of state for the second consecutive year. Beamer signed Washington, D.C., native Nyck Harbor in 2023 and expects to add D.C. edge rusher Dylan Stewart in 2024.

The recruiting landscape is wildly different than when Spurrier started at South Carolina in 2005, and even when Muschamp was hired in 2018, but Beamer has thrived in the rapidly shifting environment. Spurrier had the benefit of an in-state prospect ranked No. 1 in the country, landing Rock Hill native Jadeveon Clowney in 2011. Spurrier's recruiting was wildly inconsistent, going from the No. 6 class in 2007 to the No. 34 class in 2008. The 2007 class was his only one inside the top 10, and he only had consecutive top-18 classes once over 10 seasons, in 2011 and 2012.

Muschamp inherited the No. 25 class from Spurrier when he was hired in 2016, a drastically better group than what Beamer was left with. He had his first top-20 class in Year 3 at No. 18 and had the No. 19 class in 2020. Muschamp didn't pull elite talent as early as Beamer has, landing his first five-star prospect in 2019. Both five-star signees of his tenure, Zacch Pickens and Jordan Burch, were in-state players, and Burch was from Columbia.

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This article originally appeared on Greenville News: South Carolina football: Shane Beamer compared to Spurrier, Muschamp