South Carolina, at one point, was 3-3 on the season, and fans were ready to show head coach Shane Beamer the door until the fourth-year head coach led the team on a six-game win streak and truly should have been given a chance in the College Football Playoff.
Beamer has built this program to be one where players don't just want to represent the university, but they want to represent a coach who truly cares for them. Beamer has created a culture at South Carolina that truly isn't seen in other programs and that is clear with the fact that the Gamecocks only had two players opt out of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on New Year's Eve.
Granted, the two players that did opt out are star EDGE rusher and running back Kyle Kennard and Raheim Sanders, but both players reportedly sat down with Beamer and talked with him about their reasons for not playing. Beamer has built a culture and a program where the players can talk with him about anything and this just shows it.
Even backup quarterback Robby Ashford, who is entering the transfer portal, wanted to play one last game in a South Carolina uniform and talked with Beamer about playing in the bowl game. Beamer said it was alright with him, but the team had to approve and of course they did.
When interviewed in Orlando after bowl game practice, Beamer talked about what it meant to only have two guys opt out of the bowl game and have a full squad that wants to compete for a 10th win this season.
"It says that they are very invested," Beamer said when interviewed by ABC Channel 25 Columbia. "It says that they are very motivated to try and go get a 10th win."
"It says they are very invested. It says they are very motivated to go try and get a 10th win."#Gamecock HC Shane Beamer on what is says about the culture of his program to only have two bowl game opt-outs @abc_columbia pic.twitter.com/SztigmkevK
— Chaz R Frazier (@Chazf_tv) December 27, 2024
Beamer has done a great job of keeping his core guys together and not losing a ton of players to the transfer portal each season. The culture that Beamer has built has made players want to stay for more than just a season or two, which is not something seen a lot in college football nowadays.
"This is a group that's been very committed to one another going all the way back to last year and trying to get a 10th win is something they are very hungry to do, along with spending a week together down here in Orlando," Beamer said.
His team will get a chance to show out in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl against No. 20 Illinois on December 31, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. on ABC and hopefully get that 10th win this season for just the fifth time in program history.