It really feels like the 2026 campaign is going to be a 'now or never' season for South Carolina with Shane Beamer at the helm. The Gamecocks are coming off a disappointing 2025 and the calls for Beamer to get fired kept getting louder by the week.
Dylan Stewart doesn't hold back on why he's coming back to South Carolina
South Carolina didn't fire Beamer, but there's no question that he's got a red-hot seat leading up to Week 1. In a new interview with Pete Nakos, though, Beamer's comments sure aren't making his situation much better, as he's still trying to defend the abysmal play of his team from '25:
NEW: Shane Beamer is ready to handle expectations heading into year 6 at South Carolina, he tells @PeteNakos🤙
— On3 (@On3) February 12, 2026
"Nobody puts more pressure on me than I do myself. I realize that there are a lot of people counting on me and looking to me, and I love that responsibility. I can’t… pic.twitter.com/lxjlYi9q5k
Shane Beamer had to be kidding with his recent South Carolina comments
"Nobody puts more pressure on me than I do myself," Beamer said in his interview with Nakos. "I realize that there are a lot of people counting on me and looking to me, and I love that responsibility. I can’t get too caught up in all that.
"You are what your record says you are. We were 4-8 last season, but we also know what a thin line it is, especially in this league, between winning and losing. We were on the right side of those games in 2024, and we were on the wrong side of those games in 2025."
Yes, we get there's a thin line when it comes to SEC play, but it's on Beamer to make sure his guys execute at the end of a game to come out on top. It doesn't matter if South Carolina loses a contest by 25 points or three points. What matters is who wins and who loses.
There are no excuses for the Gamecocks going 4-8 last fall, as Beamer was loaded on both sides of the ball talent wise. In some good news for him, quarterback LaNorris Sellers will be ready to lead the offense out onto the field come Week 1, while Dylan Stewart will also be back to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Those two are the headliners for this team, and they'll need to live up to the hype. South Carolina needs to showcase major improvements next season in order for Beamer to win back the trust of the fanbase. If more mediocrity is on full display, then it will be time for the university to make a tough, but needed call. Let's hope things don't come to that.