The future of South Carolina football under head coach Shane Beamer looks to be uncertain as the Gamecocks travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium to face the Crimson Tide this weekend.
Looking back on the highs
Shane Beamer agreed to a deal to become South Carolina’s next head football coach on December 5, 2020. In the next five seasons, he held a 33-30 overall record that included three wins over top-10 teams and seven wins over top-25 teams.
Two of the three wins against top-10 teams came on back-to-back weeks. After losing to Florida 38-6 in November of 2022, the Gamecocks beat No. 5 Tennessee by a score of 63-38 in a game where South Carolina produced 607 yards of total offense and 35 first downs. The Gamecocks entered that game as a 22-point underdog.
One week later, the Gamecocks stunned No. 8 Clemson 31-30 at Memorial Stadium after the Tigers entered the game as 14.5-point favorites.
“We were the feel-good story in college football last week,” Beamer said after beating the Clemson Tigers for the first time since 2013. “But nobody thought we were good enough to win this game.”
Two years later, South Carolina beat No. 10 Texas A&M by a score of 44-20, which was the second of six straight wins to give the Gamecocks a 9-3 regular season record in 2024. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 15 in the 2024 College Football Playoff final rankings.
Looking back on the lows
After pulling off two major upsets at the conclusion of the 2022 regular season, South Carolina finished the 2023 season 5-7 and lost all five games outside of Columbia. The 2023 squad only included ten returning starters from the prior season, but these starters were at key positions, including quarterback Spencer Rattler.
However, no season during Shane Beamer’s time at South Carolina was more disappointing than 2025.
Coming off the strong finish to the 2024 regular season, the Gamecocks entered the 2025 season ranked No. 11 in the AP Poll, as quarterback LaNorris Sellers was only entering his Sophomore season at the time. Also, the secondary was expected to be a beneficiary for the Gamecocks.
However, analysts including ESPN’s Bill Connelly still had several questions about the team, noting that with South Carolina’s consistency issues under Shane Beamer, either “a charge into the top 10 or a .500 season” would not shock Connelly.
The Gamecocks finished their 2025 season with a record of 4-8, including losing all four games outside of Columbia. South Carolina did not win a single game between Sept. 27 and Nov. 22, losing six in a row, all to top-15 opponents.
One major problem with last season’s team was their inability to finish games.
Last October, the Gamecocks led the No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide 22-14 with 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Following this, Alabama drove the ball 79 yards on 14 plays, ending the drive on a 4-yard touchdown pass from Ty Simpson to Germie Bernard.
A two-point conversion pass to Josh Cuevas tied the game at 22 with 2:16 to go in the fourth quarter. Two plays later, linebacker Deontae Lawson stripped the ball away from Sellers, leading to a game-winning 25-yard touchdown from Bernard with 34 seconds to go.
Three weeks later, the Gamecocks found themselves leading No. 3 Texas A&M 30-3 at halftime in College Station. South Carolina’s defense had picked off quarterback Marcel Reed twice in the first half and also returned a fumble for a touchdown.
In the second half, the Aggies outscored the Gamecocks 28-0 and won the game 31-30. The game was the largest comeback victory in Texas A&M football history.
What to expect when the two face off on Saturday
After the complete disappointment that was the 2025 season, Beamer came into the 2026 season looking to change the narrative behind South Carolina football.
“I would hope that the expectation is every year here at South Carolina that when you’re looking at the show [College Football Playoff Selection Show] to see kind of where you’re ranked and where in the mix you are,” Beamer said ahead of South Carolina’s first matchup against Kent State. “We certainly anticipate and expect to be in the mix [to compete in the CFP].”
After beginning the season with blowout wins over Kent State and Towson, the Gamecocks lost to Mississippi State 41-34 in Columbia, blowing a 16-0 second-quarter lead. South Carolina now heads to Tuscaloosa on Saturday to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide as 11.5-point underdogs.
One key matchup that will significantly impact the outcome of the game will be how well Lanorris Sellers performs against Alabama’s defense.
Sellers threw for 238 yards and 2 touchdowns in a tight 27-25 loss to the Crimson Tide two years ago. Last year, Sellers threw for 222 yards and a touchdown against the Alabama secondary, and he also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.
Alabama’s secondary has accumulated a total of five interceptions over their first three games, but in a 50-36 win over Florida State, quarterback Ashton Daniels was able to create several chunk plays against the Crimson Tide, as he ended the game throwing for 377 yards and two touchdowns. If Sellers is able to move the ball on the Alabama secondary, the game may get very interesting.
The outcome of this game will be a huge factor in the future of Shane Beamer’s career at South Carolina. On Sunday morning’s College Football Weekend Recap, analyst Paul Finebaum said that Beamer almost has to win the game.
“That is a bad look for a guy that’s been there as long as he has, losing to a second-year coach, especially at Mississippi State,” Finebaum said.
The Crimson Tide and the Gamecocks will kick off from Bryant-Denny Stadium at 6 p.m. CT on ESPN Saturday.
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