As the 2025 SEC Media Days continue, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer set the bar high on Day 1 in Atlanta. With cameras rolling, questions flying, and expectations building, Beamer didn't flinch during his time at the podium.
Beamer's Message is Clear
“There’s going to be high expectations for teams automatically every year, the ones that typically had a good season the year before and return their quarterback, there’s naturally going to be picked high. And we’re no different. We embrace those expectations, but it’s also understanding that right now, people are saying good things about us. Last year, when we were at this event in Dallas, nobody thought we were worth a crap and weren’t saying very good things about us. We didn’t listen to it then. We don’t need to be listening to it right now as well. It’s truly about playing the games and going into the new year every year.”
Classic Beamer, honest, energized, and unbothered by the outside noise of the hype and the doubters.
"Everybody wants to talk about the two-point loss to Alabama and the three-point loss to LSU. Well, nobody talks about the four-point win against Old Dominion or the three-point win against Clemson or the four-point win against Missouri. So I think we had six games last year that came down to four points or less. So for me, it’s just understanding that every Saturday is a battle. Every Saturday, you’d better be at your best. And in this league, anybody can beat anybody on any Saturday. So it’s embracing things that we did well, but there are a lot of things that we need to improve on from last season, and we’ve spent a lot of time working on that so that we can be better in ’25.”
The QB1 Confidence
There is no secret who is the face of the program heading into the 2025 campaign: LaNorris Sellers. Beamer praised his leadership skills, consistency, and work ethic, emphasizing that South Carolina doesn't need a hero, they just need to continue growing and providing protection around him.
"There are a lot of expectations, but he’s earned that. He’s a heck of a quarterback. No disrespect to the other quarterbacks in this league, I wouldn’t trade ours for any of them, and there’s some great quarterbacks, don’t get me wrong, but I love our guys about. Obviously, as a player, who he is as a person, and his steadiness and his consistency, for as much as things have changed around him over the last year. He’s still the same person, as far as how he handles his business, his work ethic, the way he treats people and goes about things day to day. So that gives me a lot of confidence. I think he’s handled it well, and we don’t need him to be Superman. We’re gonna be better around him when you just look at our offense, with guys that we return and people that were that we brought in the depth that we’ve added at a lot of spots, and we need to continue to be great around him and confident that we will be.”
Veteran Voices
When choosing who would accompany him to Atlanta for SEC Media Days, Beamer was intentional with his choices. LaNorris Sellers, DQ Smith, and Nick Barrett are all veterans, all leaders, and all voices that matter for Gamecock football. Barrett and Smith bring battle-tested toughness to the defensive side of the ball. Their return to a unit that is replacing major production is key to a successful campaign for the Gamecocks.
"I don’t take lightly who we bring here to represent our team. It’s a big deal to come to this. I know our players get excited to come to this as well. So we got a lot of guys that are certainly deserving, and when I started thinking about who to bring, those guys were the ones that came to the top. They’ve played a lot of football for us, and I’m big on that. I’m not big into bringing somebody here that’s never played a game in a South Carolina uniform. And y’all got mad at me two years ago that I didn’t bring Spencer. Well, he hadn’t played for South Carolina yet, and I said he’ll be here next year, and y’all laughed, and I brought him next year. But with these guys, they’ve played football for us. You guys that have covered us, most of y’all have remember two of these three guys had interceptions in the Gator Bowl against Notre Dame a couple years ago, our defensive tackle and DB."
“But they’re leaders on our team, probably first and foremost. Like their voices matter. When you ask the players on our team, who are the leaders, who do you respect, these three guys are going to be named right at the top for sure, just because of the kind of people they are. They’re older guys. Obviously, LaNorris is just in his third year of college football. Nick and DQ have been around here for a minute, and they’re leaders. They’re high-character guys. Nick’s at a position, defensive tackle, there’ll be a lot of questions about that today, losing the production that we lost at the tackle. Will we bring back a guy? He’s now the leader of that room, and this is a great opportunity for him this season and today in Atlanta. DQ, we lost, you know, other guys in that secondary. We bring back some great players, but DQ is the older guy in that room, and he’s a leader and a leader on our defense. And then LaNorris, obviously, you know, speaks for himself as the starting quarterback who is a leader on our football team as well. That’s probably the biggest thing there. Their voices matter on our team, and that’s why they need to be in Atlanta with us today.”
Gamecocks vs. NCAA
When asked about the ongoing eligibility situation for running back Rahsul Faison, Beamer expressed cautious optimism.
"I’m optimistic that it would be potentially this week. Jeremiah Donati has worked really, really hard on this. Our compliance people, the NCAA, they’ve been very forthcoming in their communication in regards to what they need and what they’re looking for and the issues. So it’s been a great process for us in regards to the communication back and forth. I wish we had an answer right now, but yeah, I’m optimistic that it’ll be sooner than later. He’s got a journey from when he left high school to how he got to South Carolina, and some of the steps along the way, just some questions they had about other schools that he’s been at.”
Roster Notes and Injuries
Beamer also provided several key roster and injury updates during hs time at the podium. Tight end Michael Smith, who missed spring practice, is progressing well and expected to contribute in the 2025 season. Safety David Bucey, praised for his special teams impact last year, is currently competing for a starting role alongside DQ Smith in the secondary. Beamer also confirmed that running back Isaiah Augustave is fully cleared and has been "full speed ahead" since arriving in Columbia. And finally, freshman defensive back Chris Hatfield, who was not present for spring practice, joined the team in May and has already impressed during the summer workouts.
Final Word
Beamer walked into SEC Media Days with a garnet sports coat and the look of a man who has confidence in where his team is going. “We’ve got a special thing going here in Columbia.”