It’s well known that the South Carolina Gamecocks are rarely considered among the top title contenders in the NCAAF. Nevertheless, Shane Beamer remains confident that his team can make a major statement and emerge as one of the season’s biggest surprises starting in Week 1.
The latest update of the AP Top 25 has the Gamecocks ranked No. 13, improving on last season’s position, where they came in at No. 19. With that in mind, expectations for this team are significantly higher heading into the new campaign.
Addressing the situation, the talented head coach made it clear to the media that he always prefers to be ranked higher and have expectations — but what truly matters is being able to sustain that success over multiple seasons.
“Yeah, I mean I’d rather be ranked high and have those expectations than not,” he said. “I mean as a coach, when you’re not ranked high like we were last year, it’s great because you can use that as fuel and motivation. But we want to be a team that’s consistently ranked high in the top 10, top 15 going into every single season because it means we did some good stuff the year before and we’re expected to do stuff again.”
Head Coach Shane Beamer of the South Carolina Gamecocks celebrates after a victory against Vanderbilt at FirstBank Stadium on November 09, 2024 in Nashville, Tennessee.
To make it happen, Beamer believes it’s something that has to be built year in and year out: “The best teams in the country year in and year out, they’re in those preseason rankings every year. But those teams, and what we’re continuing to convey to our guys, and we’ve been talking about it since the beginning, is all that matters is just what we do from this point forward.”
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Blocking out the noise
The fact that his Gamecocks haven’t dazzled with their play — and aren’t even considered contenders by many — doesn’t seem to faze the head coach. Instead, he remains focused on instilling a winning mindset in his players and keeping them locked in on their goals, regardless of the outside noise.
“If you had a good season the year before and your quarterback returns, you’re probably going to be ranked pretty high,” the HC said via On3.com. “Now do I think we’re a good team? Heck yeah. And we also have a lot of work to do, but as you saw last year, or every year, there’s teams that are ranked in that preseason top 10 or top 15 and won’t be at the end of the season. And there’s a lot of teams that aren’t right now that will be at the end of the season, as well.
“So just making sure our guys understand every year’s different. We didn’t really listen to it when everybody was telling us how terrible we were — maybe a little bit. But we don’t need to listen to it now when everybody’s telling us how great we are.”
Improving on last season
The South Carolina Gamecocks are entering the season with the weight of expectation on their shoulders, particularly after a disappointing showing in the SEC last year. But there’s a new sense of optimism in Columbia, and it’s largely due to the emergence of quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
The redshirt freshman, who has been named the starting QB, has the chance to be a game-changer for the Gamecocks. His athleticism, size, and strong arm have drawn comparisons and Heisman buzz, and he’ll be tasked with leading an offense that desperately needs to be more consistent.
The hope is that Sellers can build on his impressive late-season performances from last year and elevate the entire program, proving that South Carolina can compete with the top teams in the brutal SEC conference.
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