South Carolina Gamecock head coach Shane Beamer will be looking to gain an edge anywhere he can following a 4-8 season in 2026. As the head coach enters his sixth season in Columbia, what that won't include is apparently relying on what's colloquially called "the book" of analytics that several college football head coaches use.Â
Championship Analytics Incorporated, which was founded in 2011, created a Game Book in 2016. Per the company's website, the book includes various scenarios based on time remaining, point differential and other team-related factors to help coaches make statistic-based decisions on whether to go for it on a certain down, kick a field goal or go for two, punt and so on.
As for Coach Beamer, when asked how often he utilizes the book, he told reporters that the Gamecocks don't really use it.Â
"Not really," Beamer said via Gamecock Central. "We you hear people talk about 'The Book.' We do have a book that’s on the field if I needed to use it, and it’s nothing against the book, but more often than not, I’m not asking what does the Book say. Honestly, I’ve probably done that twice a year during the season. So I’m making those decisions."
That appears to put Beamer in the minority. According to The Athletic earlier this year, it is used by over 100 college football coaches, as well as a quarter of NFL teams. New LSU head coach Lane Kiffin is even quoted on CAI's website giving "the book" rave reviews:Â
"Using CAI allowed me to coach the way I love to coach—being aggressive and going for it with confidence and without hesitation," the quote attributed to Kiffin reads. I think every staff needs CAI as a resource. I wouldn’t want to coach another season without it."Â
Instead of turning to CAI's book, Beamer has a more old-school style approach to making decisions like that. That includes game-planning for certain situations with his coaches, including new Gamecock offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, defensive coordinator Clayton White and special teams coordinator Matthew Smiley. But he does like one aspect of receiving information from CAI and the book—a report on various situations made by coaches across the NFL and college football.
"Every week, they give you just a huge report of every situation that has come up across college football and the NFL from the week before," Beamer said via GC. "And I like live for that when I get that on Wednesday nights because I can immediately dive into it, read about everything NFL and college that happened.Â
"What would I do in that situation? So I love that aspect of it. And then on Sunday nights, the people that put together The Book, they give you a report on every decision that you made. Do they agree with it? Do they not agree with it?"
As South Carolina looks to reload after a 4-8 season, it sounds like Coach Beamer isn't changing his approach to analytics and the book too much. With his father being legendary head coach Frank Beamer, you have to kind of love the old-school approach.Â
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