South Carolina football: hypothetical replacements for Will Muschamp

SHANE BEAMER

Beamer doesn’t have much head coaching experience, but he has made stops at some major programs, and worked for some of college football’s all-time greatest coaches.

The son of legendary Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, he’s been part of coaching staffs for Phillip Fulmer’s Tennessee Volunteers,  George O’Leary’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Steve Spurrier’s Gamecocks, and his dad’s Hokies.

He’s now an associate head coach for Oklahoma, where the Sooners have posted back-to-back 12-win seasons.

Beamer’s biggest asset is his experience as a recruiter. He’s been the recruiting coordinator for Mississippi State, as well as at South Carolina, when the Gamecocks landed players like Stephon Gilmore, Connor Shaw, Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Lattimore, and Alshon Jeffery.

Beamer has ties to the Palmetto State, being born in Charleston, and having been on staff during South Carolina’s best run in program history. He does come with risk, too, though.

His only head coaching experience comes in an interim role, where he led the Virginia Tech Hokies to a bowl win over Cincinnati while his father recovered from throat surgery. He’s never had to assemble a staff, which would be crucial as he doesn’t have experience calling plays on the offensive or defensive side of the ball.

Still, he would probably run the program as more of a CEO, rather than meddle in his coaches’ gameplans, which Will Muschamp has been accused of doing on more than one occasion. And with stops at major programs and a name that’s recognized throughout college football, assembling a top notch staff may not be as difficult as one would think.

It’s not as outlandish as it sounds, either, as Beamer was reportedly contacted about the South Carolina opening in 2015 prior to Muschamp’s hiring.

Again, it would be a huge risk, which is why we placed him as a wildcard, but sometimes high risk can bring about high reward. The Gamecocks are all too familiar with a little-known position coach turned head coach turning his program into a national powerhouse.