How Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer succeeded in bringing positivity to South Carolina
South Carolina linebacker Brad Johnson glanced down at the lectern, then shifted his eyes up toward the room filled with reporters in front of him and cracked a smile.
A year ago at this time, there wasn’t much to smile about.
Will Muschamp was ousted after winning just six of his final 19 games. Gamecock players were flooding the transfer portal. The Birmingham Bowl was also canceled over COVID-19 issues at USC.
This year, though, there’s a been noticeable shift.
“There’s been a different mood, a different feeling around the facility, the building — really the whole program,” Johnson said. “There were a lot of unknowns last year. A lot of changes and things were happening really fast. And now I feel like we’re just at a point and throughout this whole year it’s just been positive.”
Coaches talk about “culture” incessantly. It’s cliche, but there’s some truth to building a way of thinking within a program. For head coach Shane Beamer, that’s constant positivity and belief in a place that felt dismally low on any kind of excitement a year ago.
The 2021 season hasn’t been perfect. South Carolina was run off the field by Texas A&M, Tennessee and Georgia. The offense constantly struggled to find any kind of consistent foothold. Even the defense — which was ahead of schedule under defensive coordinator Clayton White — had major issues stopping the run down the stretch.
Long odds and issues aside, the Gamecocks finished the season 6-6, with wins over Auburn and Florida to become bowl eligible. A postseason meeting with North Carolina awaits.
That started with a mindset shift.
Beamer has long preached a message of love and passion. He wears a smile on his face most days. Even the occasional outburst is followed with a quick apology or comes from a place of care.
That’s what South Carolina wanted when it hired its first-year head coach. The doldrums of a lost season played amid a global pandemic wore on the Gamecocks last fall. USC needed a shot in the arm. It needed a boost. It needed a jolt. It needed Beamer.
“I told our team a couple of weeks ago my son Hunter — he’s in second grade — I want him to graduate high school from here in Columbia,” Beamer said amid speculation he might be a candidate for the job at Virginia Tech earlier this year. “This is where I want to be. “
As the year turns toward its conclusion, there are still decisions to be made on players’ futures. Defensive lineman Kingsley “JJ” Enagbare and running back ZaQuandre White have both declared for the NFL Draft already.
Cornerback Cam Smith surprised a touch on Thursday when he said he was expecting to be back next season, noting, “Right now, I’m in the best position for myself and staying would be the best position for me, too.”
Linebacker Brad Johnson added he’d make his decision public after the bowl game. Defensive lineman Zacch Pickens also said he’d been talking to his mom and praying about whether to leave school a year early.
That said, there are those whose careers will end after the bowl game. Graduate assistant-turned-quarterback Zeb Noland laughed when asked whether he had another year of eligibility hiding in a drawer or closet somewhere.
Safety Jaylan Foster smiled when asked about how he’d explain the last year of his life — completing the circle from FCS signee to walk-on to scholarship player to All-American.
Last week, South Carolina’s video department put together a clip of Beamer revealing to Foster that he’d been named a Walter Camp second team All-American. The former Gardner-Webb defensive back teared up in the moment, and did so again when he watched the video.
“I was crying and I already knew what it was about,” Foster said.
Foster, like so many on South Carolina’s roster, has been through plenty in his college career. But as the season nears its end later this month, there’s a foundation of positivity that’s been set for those coming after him.
Beamer said for months that he was hoping to build a baseline for his program in 2021. He’s done that.
The first-year head coach has South Carolina’s players believing in themselves once more.
“There’s ups and downs throughout the season — that comes with it,” Foster said. “But as we grew this year, Coach (Beamer) did a good job helping us realize ups and downs are going to happen. You can’t dwell on it or more down (moments) will happen. Just have to move on and stay positive.”
2021 Duke’s Mayo Bowl details
Who: South Carolina (6-6) vs North Carolina (6-6)
When: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 30
Where: Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, NC
TV: ESPN
Line: North Carolina by 8.5
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 5:00 AM with the headline "How Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer succeeded in bringing positivity to South Carolina."
