This season, the South Carolina football team is a quickly sinking ship. The Gamecocks have fallen to 3-6 overall and an even more abysmal 1-6 in SEC play. Finally, head coach Shane Beamer saw a need for changes within his program.
The Gamecocks had scored just 22 total touchdowns over the first nine games of the year (2.4 TDs per game) and fewer than 300 yards per matchup. After this past weekend's double-digit loss to Ole Miss, Beamer made the decision to part ways with offensive coordinator Mike Shula.
As South Carolina has floundered throughout conference play, many Gamecock supporters have called for Shula's job, as well as Beamer's, and on Sunday, news broke that the OC was no longer with the program.
Beamer, not Donati, called for Shula's job
While many looked toward the Gamecocks' athletic department and Athletic Director Jeremiah Donati, Beamer said that the call was his and not anybody else's.
"This was one hundred percent my decision," Beamer said on Sunday. "One billion percent my decision."
This came after a statement breaking down how disappointing the offense has been. Beamer said that "It hasn't worked like [he's] wanted it to work. Just didn't like the way the offense was performing offensively through 10 games with Shula."
BREAKING: South Carolina has fired offensive coordinator Mike Shula, @CBSsports reports❌https://t.co/XkMWysVceO pic.twitter.com/JWJmT1l4JC
— On3 (@On3sports) November 2, 2025
In 2024, Shula was brought on as the Senior Offensive Assistant and was switched to the Offensive Coordinator role ahead of this season. Since he took over the offense, South Carolina went 1-7, including a 21-17 loss to Illinois in last year's Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.
An offense that has a talented quarterback like LaNorris Sellers is expected to excel, even against elite conference opponents like the ones that the SEC boasts. Yet, the Gamecocks have floundered on the offensive side of the ball under Shula, and now, his time in Columbia is over.
South Carolina has two weeks to prepare for its next matchup, a top-five game against the No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies, which should give them plenty of time to rebuild their offensive playbook and find a way to save their season from even further disaster.
On Saturday, Nov. 15, the Gamecocks and the Aggies are scheduled to kick off sometime between noon a 1 p.m. ET, and the broadcast network has yet to be announced.