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South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer spoke to local media ahead of his time at the podium during SEC Media Days.
Here is everything he had to say.
How’s the health of Dylan Stewart and JaCarrius Peak?
“They’re really good. On track. They were both in the facility this morning. Peak is actually running. Dylan will take another step. Peak did 40 reps of what we call “walk/rest” in the weight room. So to answer your question, they’re on track, and we’ll see where they are.
Has there been a conversation on the staff on holding them out til Mississippi State?
“I think, one, treat all opponents the same. I mean, every Saturday is a battle. Good news is both those guys are competitors. They both want to play game one and get out there and compete. So for us, it’ll be communication with our medical team, the outside doctors. When they say they’re ready to go, then they’ll be ready to go.”
Kirby was mentioning his excitement for getting South Carolina and Georgia back on the schedule. How excited are you for the fans and rivals to have that matchup back?
“Yeah, I think it’s great. From a distance standpoint, the closest SEC school to us, and I know what a big deal it is all around the region, but in Augusta right on the border. A lot of Georgia people I know live in South Carolina. A lot of South Carolina people I know live in Georgia. I think it’s great. It’s a game that’s been played for a long time, I guess, and as long as I’ve been in coaching. It’s been weird not having it on the schedule the last couple seasons, but eager, got a ton of respect for [Kirby] and everything he’s done for me in my career, and looking forward to getting back out there in November at Williams-Brice.
Do you have a theme for this season or a message you are going to hammer home?
“No, not really. I think with this group, they’ve been a very mature group since they came back in January. There are a lot of older guys on our team that have been around, and they know what they want to get done, and they’ve been very intentional about their work since January.”
“For us, it’s just continuing to work and stack days and continue to get better and better each day. [I] like the way this group is working and I’m proud of where they are right now.”
With the EDGE room looking for who is going to play opposite Dylan Stewart, what do you look for in terms of competition?
“Yeah, we knew that was going to be a big thing for us when we came into January, talking about high school recruiting and [the transfer] portal. We needed to be better there; we were losing Bryan Thomas, and we know what Kyle Kennard did a couple years ago opposite Dylan. So, we really attacked that thing in the portal and in high school recruiting.”
“As far as what we’re looking for, guys that can just make plays. We know that Dylan, when teams start game-planning against our defense, They’re going to sit there and talk about, from a protection standpoint, not a block number six, and not let them ruin our game talking about the other offense. So, in order to combat that, we’ve got to have guys on the other side that can certainly stop the run, disrupt the passer, and just play, you know, good winning football.”
“We’ve got a lot of guys that played a lot of football. We’ve got some talented young guys in that room, and we’ve got to have more than one. You know, we want to play more guys up front and keep guys fresh, and those guys are having a good summer. Kind of eager, eager to see how they continue to progress as we go through the preseason.”
Do you expect a lot of young guys to contribute in that room?
“Yeah, I think it’s certainly a possibility. You know, you talk about that earlier when you talk about the defensive tackle room. We’ve got some depth at both those positions, and certainly, you know, I think a lot of guys that were there, some of those freshmen that were there in January, put themselves in position to play for us this season. There’s a lot of work to be done between now and January, or excuse me, now and September when we crank up. Certainly, I think it’s very possible.”
Do you think this is going to be one of the best linebacker groups you’ve had?
“Yeah, I mean, when you talk about, certainly, the top three coming out of last season that are now back. Those are some really talented guys that are having elite summers. All three of them, talking about Fred [‘JayR’ Johnson], talking about Shawn [Murphy] and JO [Justin Okoronkwo].”
“I know every coach gets up there and says, ‘Man, he had a really good summer.’ These guys are having like elite summers, the three of them, and they’re leaders on our defense. All three of those guys, I feel like their athleticism and all that certainly I feel that way. Key for us, what concerns me, is who’s going to be my linebacker four and my linebacker five, and that’s still to be determined, and there’s competition going on for those other spots because they’re going to play the majority of the reps. But we need to develop some guys around the two.”
How late into preseason camp do you let the kicking competition go before you name a starting kicker?
“I think that’s one of those things. Whatever it was two years ago, we had a competition, and are really three years ago. I think with [Mitch] Jeter and [Alex] Herrera, I think in 2024, it went almost like the week of the first game. nd then before that, there was a competition in ’22, whatever year it was. We had a competition in one day.”
“To answer your question, I don’t think it’s super critical to name a starting kicker before two weeks out or whatever. I think it’s a little bit different than quarterback position or something like that, but [Malik Orsan has] thrown himself into the mix in the competition with Max [Kelley] and Upton [Bellenfant], and those guys are, you know, like a lot of our positions competing this summer.”
“But like where all three of those guys are, we need to we’ll get them a ton of kicks in preseason. You know, Coach Smiley and I have talked a lot already about how to manufacture more live kicks and practices without staying out in the field longer than we need to to get the kickers’ kicks, but certainly that’s a critical position as we know, like the three that we have, and we’ll give them an opportunity to kind of compete and see where they go, see where things are, and then make a decision as we get into the game.”
Offenses under Kendal Briles seem to jump right away; you’ve been around it for six months. What type of things does he do early on that allow that to happen wherever he goes?
“Yeah, I hope that still continues. I remember watching their season opener last year against North Carolina, and they certainly jumped out of that one. So hopefully this will be the same for us too. You know, I don’t know. I think it just goes back to his system and what he wants to get done. He knows what he’s looking for. He knows how to call it, and he’s just, you know, efficient.”
“And it’s not, you know, a lot of stuff. It’s not that we are super simple. I’m not saying that, but he’s just he gets really good at what he wants to do. Just rep it over and over and over again, and those guys get out there and are able to play freely and go make plays. He’s got a proven track record as a coordinator; it’s a big reason why I hired him, and eager to see that continue.
Is he a guy that likes to go for it on fourth down a lot?
“He’s not going to be making those decisions. That’s what I get paid for. So, I would think, I mean, any offensive coordinator doesn’t want to punt. He wants to go for it certainly, but I want him to be aggressive. That’s how we’re going to play on offense, defense, and special teams.”
“It’s always been the case. We’ve gone for plenty of fourth downs, and the time that I’ve been here as the head coach, and you know, every game is different. But you know, those are those are conversations that we, Matthew Smiley and Clayton White, will have each week throughout the week, and then on the headphones during games for sure.”
The SEC eliminated the “cupcake” game before the end of the season. Would you have rather seen that stay put? What’s your opinion on that?
“Hard to say. I mean, we’ve had, you know, 2024, I remember we beat Clemson up there in 24, and we played what offered the week before. In 2022, we beat Clemson up there, and we played Tennessee the week before. You know, so I don’t think it matters. You know, I know I’ve heard some coaches talk about how they like that week to just kind of, after the grind of the season, to kind of I don’t want to say catch their breath, but it’s not an SEC game.”
“Kind of indifferent is what it is. I really didn’t think anything about it. We had some flexibility. We knew week 11 was going to be an SEC team, so it was kind of like, ‘Okay, you know, what do the other 11 weeks look like, and let’s go play.’ That’s kind of our mentality. Is whenever, whoever, wherever- let’s go. It’s an SEC game, week 11, so be it.”
You talk about the consistency with your process. With staff changes, have there been any to your offseason process? Do you foresee any changes to your game-week process?
“We tweak some things. I think every year, whether it’s, you know, after the 24 season, we tweak things, after 22 between things, you know, you’re always tweaking things to, you know, get better. You’re always trying to learn and look at how we can improve our processes, and that’s not just after a 4-8 season like we had last year. We’ve always done that.”
“But certainly this year we tweaked some things in regards to spring practice. How we did things was a little bit different. Probably would have done the same thing if we were 12-0 last year. We’ve tweaked our summer this year to be a little bit different. You know how we’ve done some things, tweaking some things in regards to, you know, the preseason practice schedule, in-season schedule- not major wholesale changes, but just things you do normally every year, which we have.”
“Kind of look at, evaluate everything. Sit down with the people around you, the other coaches, strength coaches, nutritionists, trainers, and you know, look at, ‘Okay, how can we get better at this? How can we be better at that?”‘ This year is going”
External expectations aren’t something you guys put stock in, but is there a benefit to entering the season a little more under the radar?
“Yeah, you know we don’t, but certainly I’d be lying to you, and I think all of our players will be lying to you if we can hear what people thought about us on the outside. Nobody thinks we’re worth a shoot, and that’s okay.”
“I mean, all you guys picked us high last year, and the same reason you picked us high last year, like those same players are back this year, which just blows my mind. Like last year, y’all thought we were going to be pretty good because we had a good season, and we had guys like the three three here today, and Dylan Stewart and whoever else returning; we picked aside. All those guys are back, and they’re a year older. But everybody thinks we suck, so you know it is what it is. We don’t pay a whole lot of attention to that.”
“Just kind of leave us alone, let us go to work, and we’ll see everybody in September.”
How’s the offseason been for the offensive line?
“Yeah, I think those guys are all having a good summer. You know, you got to get some guys healthy. You guys know we got some guys banged up, but I think those guys are having really good summers.”
“We, you know, talk about, you know, a lot of the transfers that have come in. Dayne Arnett, Seth Smith. I was reading it on the plane down. We do that each week in the summer, but really throughout the year, they and the strength staff and really everybody in our building kind of give a weekly report on every player. And I was reading through that on the way down last week’s report, and the offensive lineman-they’ve been consistent. This week’s report was no different.”
“Just the work they’re putting in, the summer they’re having, strides and the gains they’re making, and they’ve got like the mentality that they’re, you know, preparing and practicing with right now.”
It’s the 10th anniversary of the SEC’s “It Just Means More” slogan. You’ve had a lot of experience elsewhere, but in what ways do you see the conference live up to that phrase?
“Look at the NFL Draft every year, it’s however many consecutive years we’ve lead the country in draft picks. I just think the passion from the fan base is just-it’s different. I haven’t been to other media days. I’ve caught glimpses. glimpses of other media days on television, and it certainly isn’t this.”
“Commissioner [Greg] Sankey’s statement yesterday, I thought, was awesome about the average attendance of 80,000 in the SEC last season. It has a higher average attendance than any league in any sport in the world. I mean, that’s a Mic-drop type fact, and it’s true that’s what I love about this conference. It does just mean more because every Saturday you don’t go into a stadium anywhere in this league where there’s less than, you know, 30,000 people, 40 or 60, 70,000 people in the stands, and other things that’s the case. I mean every Saturday of this week you’re walking into 80,90, 100,000-seat stadiums and the meccas of college football, and that’s what you know, it’s awesome, and I love it.”
Would you like to see the SEC go off on its own?
“I know Kirby [Smart] got asked that question; I’m just trying to put together a team in 2026. We’re fortunate that we got great leadership in Commissioner Sankey and our school presidents; those are the guys that are making those decisions. I’ll put this league up against any league in the country, but right now, that’s not my focus.”
How do you ensure the chemistry on the offensive line is ahead of schedule and ready for the season?
“I was thinking about the question that David [Cloninger] asked me about the [JaCarrius] Peak and [Dylan] Stewart injuries, and the only people that beat me to that question were your colleagues on 107.5 [The Game]. [Bill] Gunter and Tyler [Head], first question they asked me on the way driving in as well.”
“Continuity certainly. You want to have five guys that have played a lot of football, you know, together. I think that’s harder and harder than ever to do in college football. You just look around other schools, and they’re all portal guys. So I think we’re in the same boat as everybody.”
“So what do you do? You do as much as you can and maximize your time in the off-season, trying to develop that depth and trying to develop that continuity with your 5,6,7,8, guys, whoever it might be. You know, we’ve got a guy that came in in Darius Gray that wasn’t here through spring practice, and you’ve got to get him caught up on everything. But I think we’ve done a good job of that. Those guys have gotten a lot of, you know, reps in spring practice. Those guys have gotten a lot of reps on their own in the summertime with what we’re able to do when we’re on the field with them, and then when we’re not on the field with them.”
“And then there’ll be a ton of opportunities, obviously, in August when we get going, but the good news is we’re not talking about a bunch of guys that haven’t played at the Power Four level. We’re not talking about a bunch of guys that are freshmen. You know, we’ve got some young guys in that room. Don’t get me wrong, but we’ve got a lot of older guys, as you guys know, that have played a lot of football at a high level, and they know what it takes, and they’re doing a great job of putting themselves in that position, or in a position to be at their best when the season starts.”
You spoke very confidently about being in the hunt for a playoff berth next season at the end of last year. What gave you the confidence to say that, and do you feel that was the right thing to put in the minds of your team going into 2026?
“Yeah. Like, as a competitor, we don’t, you know, go into I don’t care what the sport is. You don’t ever go into a season saying, ‘Man, that one’s gonna be tough and that one’s gonna be tough. Boy, I hope we can win that one.’ We expect to win every game. And I think you wrote the other day. I’m not going to confront you, but you wrote the other day that you know our mentality or message is going to be different this year, in particular last year. No, it’s not.”
“Like our mentality coming in here last year was we were going to have a really good team. I felt that way. I don’t think any coach in any sport in the world has ever gone into a season not thinking that they were going to have a good team and have an opportunity to win every game, and you know, I understand the question. Should I temper expectations or whatever last season? I don’t think so. I mean, when you’re at a place like South Carolina, that’s the goal. said it in 2020, and I’ll say it today in the main room. Like there’s no ceiling on the football program here in South Carolina, and never will be.”
“We had high expectations going on going into last season. We fell woefully short, and that’s on me. But we have high expectations going into this season too. And as a competitor, that’s always what you want. So I was confident in our team in ’24 when no one at SEC Media Days in Dallas thought we were worth a shoot, I was confident in our team last year. We didn’t play well and coach well, and I’m really confident in our team right now in 2026. And you know, Coach Spurrier used to call it talking season for a reason. I mean, that’s all talk right now, but all I’ll echo just the work that I’ve seen our guys put in since January, and that has me really fired up without getting things off in September.”
