Sports

Shane Beamer had a recruiting 'doh' moment while discussing Texas joining the SEC

Hook'em Headlines · Jul 22, 2026 15:05 · 3 min read

Shane Beamer had a recruiting 'doh' moment while discussing Texas joining the SEC — USC head coach Shane Beamer | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer seemed to have an odd realization while discussing the Texas Longhorns joining the SEC.

While on stage at SEC Media Days, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer was asked for his thoughts on the first two years of the Texas Longhorns and Oklahoma Sooners being in the conference.

Of course, Texas and South Carolina have yet to share a field, but Beamer gave the Horns their flowers for being a "premier athletic" program as well as having a great hometown in Austin.

However, he also talked about the recruiting opportunities that were supposedly unlocked when Texas joined the SEC.

"The geographic footprint that I think it opens up for schools," Beamer said. "We really didn't have a reason to go to Texas. Texas is not going to be a primary recruiting area for us, but it allows us the opportunity to maybe get in some doors and some schools that maybe we didn't before because Oklahoma and Texas were in the Big 12."

Excuse me?

Every single year, Texas produces some of the most highly rated talent in the country. Not to mention the fact that, as one of the biggest states in the US, it has the greatest amount of high school talent looking to get recruited.

Additionally, the Texas A&M Aggies (who, you guessed it, are based in Texas) have been in the SEC for nearly a decade and a half, supposedly bringing the Lone Star State into the conference's fold a long time ago.

Furthermore, just six years ago, Beamer was an assistant coach for the Sooners, undoubtedly gaining experience with recruiting out of Texas and obviously coaching against the Longhorns every single season.

South Carolina's recruiting woes are clearly Shane Beamer related

"We've got somebody committed from the state of Texas right now. We have a couple of other guys on our team from the state of Texas. So I think it opens up more geographic opportunities, or opens up more of a geographic footprint for all schools in the SEC," Beamer said.

What an odd thing for Beamer to say. Yes, obviously, an occasional trip to Austin when the South Carolina Gamecocks eventually play the Horns will be great for his program. However, for him to say that the Longhorns joining the conference "opens up more geographic opportunities" is off base.

Beamer missing the mark on being able to recruit prospects from the Lone Star State over the last five years (since he took over at SC in 2021) might be one of the biggest indicators for why the Gamecocks have struggled to climb the SEC recruiting rankings.

Also read: The best pipeline states that Texas Longhorns have tapped on the recruiting trail

While South Carolina hasn't been at the very bottom of the totem pole, the team has been behind the middle of the pack over the last few years.

Beamer's class of 2027 currently ranks 10th out of the 16 teams in the conference. Last year, South Carolina ranked ninth. In 2025 and 2024, his recruiting classes ranked 10th, after earning his highest mark at seventh in 2023.

During his first true year of recruiting (2022), South Carolina's recruiting class ranked 13th out of the then-14 teams in the conference.

Simply put, Beamer might have benefitted from putting a little more effort into recruiting in Texas, and it should be an even bigger concern for the Gamecocks if their head coach just realized this was a possibility.