South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer landing Coach of the Year buzz

The South Carolina football team has already notched six wins on the year in a season where no one predicted the Gamecocks to land bowl eligibility. Well, almost no one…

Shane Beamer’s group picked up huge wins against Auburn and Florida in November to move a couple of spots up the SEC Eastern division standings. That late season turnaround is creating some buzz surrounding the first-year head coach and a prestigious postseason award nomination.

Folks around college football are looking to Beamer as SEC Coach of the Year. There’s certainly a case that can be made, too.

Beamer inherited a group that won just six games over the last two seasons combined. To make matters worse, he lost the top five defensive backs from last year’s squad, battled multiple injuries at the quarterback position, and struggled with offensive line inconsistency throughout the year.

Despite some of those struggles, progress is being made. With those defenders in the secondary missing, the Gamecocks have put together a top 15 defense against the pass.

A third-string quarterback has led the Gamecocks to two SEC wins in his first three tries.

The offensive front is opening up holes for Gamecock rushers like ZaQuandre White, who’s posted 100-yard performances in three straight matchups.

Things are ticking up for the program in year one. Beamer has been able to completely change a culture in Columbia that had gotten stale and used to losing. Now, fans are excited for a possible upset of archrival Clemson and a chance to get to seven wins. If Beamer does that, the award might be all but his.