Opposing coaches anonymously rip South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer

The South Carolina football program is heading into a critical year four of the Shane Beamer era.

A good season in Columbia in 2024 should put the Gamecocks back on the solid upward trajectory that they seemed to be following after a strong finish to 2022. Recruiting efforts have been good but have dipped slightly after a tough 2023 season.

A poor showing this fall, though, could spiral the program back into the mediocrity that has plagued much of the last decade. If 2023 was a blip on the radar of a solid rebuild, it won't hold back the program's growth much. If it was indicative of more struggles that will continue into the future, things could get a little dicier for the garnet and black.

Recently, some anonymous coaches have shared their opinions on Shane Beamer and his program.

According to a story from On3's Griffin McVeigh, opposing coaches have spoken very negatively about the Gamecock headman. Citing comments from two anonymous coaches (seemingly quotes from Lindy's Sports' preseason college football magazine), McVeigh wrote that there are some voices in the coaching community who don't think highly of Beamer.

Said one coach, "I think Shane Beamer is on the hot seat. He's had some issues with the portal, NIL...Beamer wasn't ready for [this]. You can tell by the way he handles his press conferences. He's had a few big wins, yes. But I see that program dead in the water."

Another coach argued that he thinks, "Shane lost that locker room last year." The outlook according to the second coach isn't quite as dire, though, as he believes Beamer made a good move that could fix a lot of the problems: "He brought back Shawn Elliott...Shawn will get the locker room right."

It is unfair (especially behind the cover of anonymity) to say that Shane Beamer is on the hot seat as, barring utter disaster, he is likely to be the head coach in Columbia in 2025. However, without a return to some semblance of winning (that has to start with a bowl season this fall), the optimism around the program and its future will be all but gone.

A bad year would put Beamer on the hot seat, and the damage it probably would do to recruiting and in-house retention/NIL/transfer portal efforts might be irreparable.

2024 is a big year for the South Carolina football program, and Gamecock fans are hopeful they can emerge from another difficult schedule with real reasons to remain optimistic and invested.