Shane Beamer knows exactly why Tennesse fans have him on their villain list, and he's not losing any sleep over it. The South Caroline head coach joined the I Am Athlete podcast last week and got quite candid about his complicated relationship with Vol Nation. Beamer, who earned his master's degree from Tennessee and even served as a graduate assistant under Phillip Fulmer from 2001 to 2003, says he's probably one of the few Tennessee grads who gets booed in Knoxville.
“Most fan bases probably don’t like me,” Beamer said with a laugh on the podcast. “I mean, that’s just natural. I think there’s a handful, from talking to Tennessee buddies, of Tennessee people that don’t like me because of, you know, the 2022 game.”
That infamous 2022 matchup still lives in SEC infamy. South Carolina stunned the fifth-ranked Vols in Columbia, a 63-38 beatdown that effectively ended Tennessee's College Football Playoff hopes and sent shockwaves through the conference. Beamer's Gamecocks were electric that night, and Vols fans have never really, well... forgiven him for it.
The rivalry only intensified after whispers circulated that South Carolina might have benefited from insider information linked to Michigan's Connor Stalions. Nothing was ever proven, but the speculation poured gasoline on the fire.
Tennessee did get their revenge the following year, taking down the Gamecocks 41-20 in Neyland Stadium. Still, Beamer remains a lightning rod among Vols fans, one who has gone against Tennessee 1-2 since taking over in Columbia but has left a lasting mark in just three meetings.
For Beamer, however, the noise comes with the job. Rivalries fuel the SEC, and if a fan base still hates you two years later, it probably means you're doing something right.