The South Carolina Gamecocks are entering quite the important season in Columbia in 2026. Coming off a 4-8 season in Columbia, head coach Shane Beamer invested heavily this offseason to turn things around.Â
He hired new offensive coordinator Kendal Briles from TCU, who brought along offensive line coach Randy Clements and running backs coach Stand Drayton.Â
In ESPN's 100-day college football countdown piece released on Thursday, included was a section on coaches on the hot seat. Beamer checked in at No. 5 on the list, along with Maryland's Mike Locksley, Wisconsin's Luke Fickell, Baylor's Dave Aranda and Florida State's Mike Norvell.Â
"Beamer loves being at South Carolina and delivered top-25 finishes and wins against rival Clemson in 2022 and 2024," the piece writes. "But better performances bring increased investment and expectations, and Beamer is coming off his worst season (4-8 overall, 1-7 SEC) in Columbia. The school stepped up to retain quarterback LaNorris Sellers, defensive end Dylan Stewart and others, and will demand better results this fall. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati did not hire Beamer."
In addition to the talent the Gamecocks have returning, Beamer also landed big-time transfer portal additions in offensive tackle Jaccarius Peak and running back Christian Clark. With the offseason overhauls made, merely reaching a bowl in 2026 might not be enough to keep Beamer around, as much as South Carolina fans love him.Â
South Carolina's schedule features some tough games, including road trips to Alabama on Sept. 26, Florida on Oct. 10 and Oklahoma on Oct. 31. It also features games vs. Tennessee, Texas A&M, Georgia and Clemson. The Gamecocks might need to pull off an upset in at least a couple of those games for Jeremiah Donati to stick it out with Beamer. Â
The other important note in ESPN's piece? That current athletic director at South Carolina in Donati was hired in Jan. 2025, after Beamer's 9-4 season in Columbia.Â
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Beamer signed a new contract with South Carolina in Jan. 2025, following a 9-4 finish in 2024. The deal bumped his annual salary to $8.15 million annually, and went through the 2030 season.Â
Per the USA Today's coaching salary database, Beamer's buyout as of Dec. of last year was $27,903,958. So that number is likely slightly lower entering the 2026 season.
Beamer is 33-30 overall as South Carolina's head coach, and has had just two losing seasons in his tenure.
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