Bruce Feldman optimistic about South Carolina despite Shane Beamer’s hot seat rating

The South Carolina Gamecocks fell apart last season after finishing the campaign with a 4-8 record, with seven of those losses coming from SEC opponents. Naturally, after a disastrous year, Shane Beamer finds himself on Bruce Feldman’s hot-seat ratings. However, it’s not all bad news for the 49-year-old head coach.

Although The Athletic’s college football insider admits that Beamer’s seat is heating up down in Columbia, the change at offensive coordinator sheds a positive light on the Gamecocks’ outlook for the 2026-27 season. Additionally, Feldman likes South Carolina’s first half of the schedule, as the Alabama Crimson Tide are truly the only standout matchup in the program’s first five games.

“But last year’s 4-8 season with just one SEC win was a gut punch,” Feldman wrote. “Beamer hired the wrong offensive coordinator after Dowell Loggains left to become the head coach at Appalachian State, and I suspect new OC Kendal Briles will be a better fit with QB LaNorris Sellers.

“Beamer’s path to another bowl game feels realistic; the first three games are against Kent State, Towson, and Mississippi State. After a trip to Alabama, South Carolina hosts a rebuilding Kentucky team. If the Gamecocks are 4-1, this team could be rolling to a big bounce-back season.”

Additionally, Feldman points out that Shane Beamer is one of the most winning coaches in South Carolina’s football history. He has several wins over rival Clemson, two Top 25 finishes, and is the only coach in program history outside of Steve Spurrier to own a win-loss record above .500.

The new season is a crucial one for Beamer and the Gamecocks. Winning four of the first five games on the schedule sets the program up nicely for the second half of the campaign. Some notable matchups on South Carolina’s schedule are Alabama, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Georgia, and Clemson.

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