South Carolina football: Shane Beamer given longest leash of new hires

South Carolina football will have patience with Shane Beamer.

The South Carolina football program is undergoing a major transition from former head coach Will Muschamp to a new era under Shane Beamer. Beamer is looking to turn things around in Columbia following back-to-back losing seasons. The first-time head man is starting with a complete rebuild, and has put a focus on changing the culture surrounding the team before putting a huge emphasis on wins and losses.

Administration knew that this turnaround wouldn’t be a quick process, meaning Beamer will likely have at least five seasons to see if he’s the man for the job. Most projections only call for the Gamecocks to win four or five games in year one, leaving the immediate pressure at a relatively low level. A bowl game appearance would be icing on the cake, as it would mean the program exceeded expectations. And that should be the case with the team having won just six games since 2019. Beamer just needs to show some progress and success on the recruiting trail to keep the backing of the athletic department early on.

One notable sports media outlet agrees with that line of thinking, and has listed South Carolina’s new head coach as having the longest leash of college football’s new hires.

CBS Sports unveiled its outlooks for the new coaching hires around the nation, tabbing who they believe will have instant results, sustained success, a little lenience, the shortest leash, and the toughest rebuild.

Beamer is listed as having the most lenience of college football’s new hires, alongside Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea. Here’s what the site had to say about the Gamecocks’ new addition.

"While there is certainly a rebuilding — or at least remodeling — angle to what’s in store for both South Carolina and Vanderbilt, the hires made by both schools had a familial nature that can lead to a longer leash… Beamer was an assistant under Steve Spurrier for four years during the early stages of what would become one of the most successful periods in South Carolina football history. As recruiting coordinator, Beamer helped bring in NFL-caliber players like Alshon Jeffery and Stephon Gilmore, and there’s a real momentum behind the idea that he knows the lay of the land in a unique way that can help South Carolina level up again… [B]oth of these coaches are under the age of 45 and in their first head coaching job. You have always more patience for family members than strangers, especially when they’re trying to figure something out for the first time. That’s going to lead to a longer leash for these two new arrivals in the SEC."

The piece notes two main points. First, the fact that Beamer is family. He’s been all Gamecock since the day he stepped foot on campus, and we truly believe that this is his dream job. Beamer was on staff with Steve Spurrier in the early 2000s, helping set up the program’s best run in school history. The familiarity with Beamer, both from the fans and administration, should land him some leniency in the first few seasons.

Secondly, he’s in his first stint as a head coach, at any level. There will undoubtedly be a learning curve, but South Carolina will allow for growing pains. It’s not to say he doesn’t have experience, as he’s been on staff with some of the nation’s most notable programs, and is the son of a Hall of Fame coaching legend, but everyone learns during their first experience in a new role. The Gamecocks will cut Beamer some slack in the win/loss department as he tries to build up the roster and continues to manage how to successfully run a program.

As long as the program continues to see progress in the early stages of Beamer’s tenure, South Carolina’s new head coach should be safe. That tenure will begin in early September as the Gamecocks prepare for an opening season matchup with Eastern Illinois in Williams-Brice Stadium.