Not only is South Carolina Football on the rise, but head coach Shane Beamer is climbing the ranks as well. Beamer moved up four spots in CBS's annual SEC Head Coach Rankings, coming in at No. 8 among the league's coaches heading into the 2025-26 campaign. That is a notable jump in spots from last year's ranking at No. 12. Beamer also broke into the Top 30 nationally, landing at No. 28 overall. CBS Sports credited Beamer's success at South Carolina to his consistency, program-building progress, and rivalry victories:
“Beamer has won more games than any coach in program history over his first four seasons, topping Steve Spurrier by one. That came in last year's regular-season finale at Clemson, his second win in the last three years against the Gamecocks' archrival. With that level of production, Beamer's going to have this job in Columbia as long as he wants it and believes South Carolina can get to a conference title and playoff appearance under his watch.”
Beamer has a 29-22 overall record in his four years at the helm of Gamecock football, a .569 winning percentage. South Carolina has also made three bowl appearances and secured some historic wins in the 2024 campaign, including wins over multiple AP Top 25 teams. Last year's 9-3 record for the regular season included a win over in-state rival Clemson, three conference wins on the road, and a sweep of three trophy games, something no other Gamecock squad has accomplished.
As Beamer looks to keep that momentum going into the 2025 season, the Gamecocks are preparing to report to campus next week on July 31, with the first fall practice on August 1. South Carolina opens the season in Atlanta on August 31 against Virgina Tech. The home opener is slated for September 6 against SC State at Williams-Brice Stadium.