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by WILL FOLKS
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A year ago, South Carolina’s football team endured a humiliating loss at home to Ole Miss – one in which persistent offensive woes plagued a Gamecock program which seemed destined to fulfill its lowly expectations.
In reporting on the status of the program at that juncture, I noted that head coach Shane Beamer “had yet to find a play-caller capable of generating even a middling offensive attack,” let alone the sort of elite ‘Cock-n-Fire’ unit the Gamecocks fielded under former head coach Steve Spurrier.
Accordingly, I pointed out that while Beamer had occasionally silenced his critics (including this author) during his tenure in Columbia, S.C.– “he has failed to prove them wrong on a consistent basis.”
Beamer’s team seemed to have flipped the script following that humiliating loss, though, embarking on a six-game winning streak – including four victories over ranked opponents. That put the Gamecocks on the cusp of their first-ever College Football Playoff (CFP) appearance – which they narrowly (and controversially) missed out on. With generational talents on both sides of the ball – namely quarterback LaNorris Sellers on offense and edge rusher Dylan Stewart on defense – South Carolina entered 2025 with a top fifteen national ranking and legitimate CFP aspirations.
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Once again, though, the Gamecocks find themselves at an inflection point – with one of the worst offenses in America continuing to hold the program back.
While South Carolina has already fired offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley, offensive coordinator Mike Shula and “run game coordinator” Shawn Elliott inexplicably remain at their posts despite weekly demonstrations of their incompetence.
The case for firing Shula and Elliott couldn’t be clearer.
Through seven games, South Carolina has amassed an anemic 2,084 total yards – or 297.7 yards per game. That total ranks No. 127 out of 134 FBS programs. Fueling this failure is a nonexistent ground game, which is averaging only 106.6 yards per game (No. 120 nationally). Unfortunately, South Carolina’s passing attack hasn’t fared much better – averaging just 191.1 yards per game (No. 102 nationally).
When you can’t run and you can’t throw, you can’t score… which is why the Gamecocks currently rank No. 113 nationally with an average of only 20.1 points per game. Believe it or not, that number – on track for the program’s worst scoring output in 23 years – is deceptively high. Thanks to the multiple defensive and special teams scores, South Carolina’s offense is averaging only 14.1 points per game.
When you can’t score, you can’t win… which is why South Carolina has posted a 3-5 record since its late-season run a year ago.
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Such numbers are unacceptable under any circumstances – but they are absolutely inexcusable considering the Gamecocks have arguably the top dual-threat quarterback in America under center. Sellers began the season as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy and a potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. He is currently listed as the No. 21 overall prospect, according to ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper – who noted the 6-foot-3, 240-pound redshirt sophomore from Florence, S.C. was still struggling to achieve “consistent production.”
“His ball location has been erratic, and his decision-making still isn’t there,” Kiper wrote prior to the Oklahoma game. “On top of that, he has taken 19 sacks, seventh-most in the FBS.”
Sellers took another six sacks on Saturday against the Sooners.
Through seven games, South Carolina’s starter has completed 90 of 139 passes for 1,134 yards with five touchdowns and two interceptions. He has rushed for just 108 yards and one score.
While Sellers’ struggles have been well-documented, he’s been let down by virtually everyone around him – his offensive line, the Gamecocks’ skill players and, most critically, his aforementioned coaches.
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With South Carolina’s fan base in an uproar, Beamer is not only standing pat with Shula and Elliott – he is offering chippy, petty responses to beat reporters who have legitimately questioned their chronic failure. Not surprisingly, Beamer’s defensiveness has sparked comparisons to his predecessor, Will Muschamp – who was run out of Columbia on a rail during his fifth season.
Beamer is 32-26 (.552) at South Carolina – including a 16-21 (.432) record against conference opponents and a 7-18 (.280) mark against ranked foes. Muschamp finished his disastrous tenure in Columbia with a 28-30 (.482) overall record, 17-22 (.435) conference mark and 3-15 (.166) record against ranked opponents.
Things don’t get any easier for Beamer and his dysfunctional program in the coming weeks. The Gamecocks face No. 4 Alabama at home this weekend – and the team travels to Oxford to play No. 8 Ole Miss next weekend. After a bye week, South Carolina is back on the road against No. 3 Texas A&M in College Station on November 15, 2025.
Three consecutive games against top ten teams hardly seems a recipe for a turnaround, but Beamer is adamant he is still the man for the job. Amid rumors linking him to the head coaching job at Virginia Tech, he is equally adamant he has the job he wants.
“I’m going to get it fixed,” Beamer vowed this weekend.
With a brutal schedule looming and no apparent appetite to make wholesale changes to his coaching staff, it’s not entirely clear how Beamer intends to keep that promise. One thing is clear, though, should he fail to do so – his future at South Carolina is very much in doubt.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR…
Will Folks is the founding editor of the news outlet you are currently reading. Prior to founding FITSNews, he served as press secretary to the governor of South Carolina. He lives in the Midlands region of the state with his wife and eight children.
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8 comments
In times like these, I thank God for the southern man’s “lower trinity” of recreation: football, fishing, and hunting. If one of those 3 for whatever reason just craps out on you, you can still shift your energies to the other two and salvage your fall weekends. Looks like that dynamic is going to be heavily in play for the rest of this season. Same goes for Clemson fans.
Repeat and rinse: football is not a core function of an academic institution and neither football nor academic will ever become excellent in SC. So keep hunting and fishing and stop these unrealistic dreams of being good at anything. It starts either the boards and leadership. Nothing beyond average but great talkers
USC’s offensive linemen keep getting spam in their e-mail, as well as robo-calls despite their best attempts to stop them. It seems they can’t block ANYTHING!
Q: What does the USC football team and pastor Joel Osteen have in common? A: Both can cause thousands of their loyal followers to rise to their feet and shout “Jesus Christ”!
Please, keep Shane Beamer. He has “earned” five more years to USC!
Edit: “five more years at USC”.
What do you expect for $8,000,000 per year? What would Virginia Tech be seeing that says they need to go after that coach? Fact is little Beaver Beamer wouldn’t be coaching a high school team had it not been for riding his old man’s coat tails. USC hired a TE coach who has never been an OC or DC prior to his hire… USC hired a positions coach. Then after one good year the Board of Trustees, like clockwork, handed Beav a golden parachute of a contract. The only thing worse than this season will be next season thanks to the portal, anyone with any talent is going to jump ship for a better school. Stewart has already quit the team, he’s not going to get hurt only to sit home during bowl season. After Alabama I expect Norris to do the same, his only concern will be if Dick Dyer takes back the $185,000 Mercedes they’re letting him use.
Gamecocks football having an expectedly average year for Gamecocks football, more at 11.