Shane Beamer Speaks Highly on the Development of Players at South Carolina

One of the keys for any coach in college football is being able to get the best version out of the players on their team. Whether the player is a blue chip or a walk-on, it is the coach’s responsibility to maximize their potential. 

While speaking during SEC Media Day, Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer harped on the importance of developing his players during their time in Columbia. Development plays a factor on the outcome of a season, as well as the success of the program’s ability to recruit. 

As for areas to develop this year, coach Beamer emphasized that there is certainly room for improvement and highlighted his commitment to helping his team do so.

"Yeah, [we want to] just continue to develop. After every season, I'm no different than any other coach, you look back at the things you did well the previous season and the things you didn't do well and figure out how you're going to improve and be better.” 

“We did a lot of good [things] last season,” Beamer continued. “There is a lot we need to be better at offensively, defensively, and special teams. We'll go to work at doing that. We'll go to work developing our roster.”

Coach Beamer was also proud of the work his team has done in terms of developing players who aren’t blue chips into NFL talent. Just this past season, the Gamecocks produced four players in the top four rounds of the NFL draft who were three-star recruits or less. Coach Beamer was not shy on highlighting their track record, as he stated, 

“It's something we pride ourselves on, the development. When we ask high school prospects or transfers, what are you looking for in a school, I know there are more factors at play now than ever, 90% of the time the word ‘development’ is going to come out their mouth. Whether it's a transfer, they want to be developed, or a high school senior, they want to be developed. It's hard to argue against our blueprint, if you will, because of what guys have done.”

“Whether it be Nick Emmanwori,” Beamer continued, “who was a three-star recruit coming out of high school and was an early second round pick this year, DQ Smith, high school quarterback and getting ready to be a four-year starter and have a chance to go on from the next level… Or from a transfer standpoint, Demetrius Knight who transferred in from another school or had been at two previous schools and one of those schools caught us and said, ‘that guy can't play for you.’ [He] ends up being an all-conference type guy and being the first guy drafted from South Carolina.”

Needless to say, Beamer is pleased with his staff’s ability to get the most out of their players. The ability to do so helps explain the increase in winning the program experienced in 2024. As this trend continues, do not be surprised if their winning ways also continue. 

The Gamecocks are set to kickoff their season against the Virginia Tech Hokies on August 31st at 3 PM, in Atlanta, GA.