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South Carolina football: Athlon Sports ranks the SEC coaches

By Jacob Elsey

AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 15: Assistant head coach Shane Beamer of the Oklahoma Sooners coaches from the sidelines in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. Oklahoma Sooners won 37-27 over the Iowa State Cyclones.(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images)
AMES, IA - SEPTEMBER 15: Assistant head coach Shane Beamer of the Oklahoma Sooners coaches from the sidelines in the second half of play at Jack Trice Stadium on September 15, 2018 in Ames, Iowa. Oklahoma Sooners won 37-27 over the Iowa State Cyclones.(Photo by David Purdy/Getty Images) /
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South Carolina football’s Shane Beamer has work to do.

South Carolina football is gearing up for its inaugural season under first-time head coach Shane Beamer, and with his inexperience leading a program, there’s been some skepticism over whether or not he’s the right man for the job. It’s obvious that Beamer loves the school, and he’s certainly a culture fit, but can he produce results on the field? That remains to be seen.

What he has done a nice job of thus far is replacing the mass exodus of players that transferred out of the program following Will Muschamp’s firing, landing commitments from a number of highly productive prospects in the portal. He’s also hit the ground running on the recruiting trail, and has a host of talented visitors dropping by Columbia this Summer.

Beamer’s passion and work ethic are not in question, but it’s still in doubt whether or not he can turn around a program that’s won just six games since 2018. Athlon Sports is one of those doubters, as they’ve ranked Beamer as the worst coach in the SEC entering the season.

https://twitter.com/SatDownSouth/status/1396910866788933638

Nick Saban is the obvious choice at No. 1, as he’s led the Crimson Tide to six national titles since taking over in Tuscaloosa. A case can be made for Jimbo Fisher, Dan Mullen, and Kirby Smart at No. 2.

What’s interesting is seeing Beamer ranked behind SEC newcomers Josh Heupel and Clark Lea. Lea, who’s also a first-time head coach, will take over a Vanderbilt program that went 0-9 last year, and is always at a massive talent disadvantage compared to the rest of the conference. Heupel comes to Tennessee from Central Florida, where the Knights regressed in each of his three seasons at the helm.

Luckily for Beamer, he’ll get a chance to change that narrative as he faces both of those new coaches in 2021. The Gamecocks will kick off the season on September 4th against Eastern Illinois, and should the team find itself in a bowl game this postseason, South Carolina’s head coach will be sure to slide up this list very quickly.

Related Story. Beamer given longest leash of new hires. light

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