Well, the 2024 season might have dropped the curtains. But who cares? Some teams are yet to recover from the hangover. One such person is South Carolina Gamecocks HC Shane Beamer. The Gamecocks ended the season 9-3. More than accepting their bad fate, looks like Beamer is not okay with how the SEC conference works. On that note, the South Carolina HC came up with a bold aspiration for change. Will the SEC listen to his suggestion? Well, we don’t know that yet. Will it change the Gamecocks’ fate? The college football insider is here with a clear take.
No wonder, Beamer comes off as an indomitable force. After all, the Gamecocks’ leader had a very encouraging fourth season in Columbia. They went 9-3 during the regular season and were as high as No. 15 in the country. Not to forget the highlight moment from the 2024 season.
They had a big 14-17 win over Clemson Tigers who eventually grabbed the ACC championship. But poor, Beamer. His program even though gained enough momentum, could not make it to the playoffs. Surprisingly, the SEC trio- Georgia, Texas, and Tennessee, even though made it to the playoffs, were not able to land in the national championship game.
Beamer could no longer keep his calm and addressed the snub. “The fact of the matter is, we beat the ACC champion on their field this year and didn’t get in… I do believe this league is just different than others, and there has to be some consideration.” Maybe, the South Carolina HC thinks this to be the only option that would open their gates to the playoffs. On that note, analyst Josh Pate has something to say about the Gamecocks’ future. On Josh Pate’s College Football Show, the host answered this one question: “Do you think South Carolina can make the playoff and make a run at a National Championship?”
“Do I think they can make a run at the playoff? Sure they can. Absolutely they can,” Pate sounded all confident. That’s because they made it past year. Now comes the next part of the question, can we see them with the National Championship trophy or not? “I don’t think they can,” answered Pate. Now why so? The analyst shared, “I think this past college football playoff this first version of the 12-team playoff may end up being a little atypical.” Now that’s because the narrative no longer is controlled by the quarterbacks as it has been in the past 10-15 years.
Pate stated, “There was a lot of randomness in the caliber of quarterback play.” Beamer’s QB LaNorris Sellers will have to bring back the heat. Only then the nine-seed South Carolina will win the national championship. So where does the QB stand?
Shane Beamer’s big bet for his star player
The Gamecocks has set out a red carpet for Sellers. Beamer’s signal-caller has inked a new NIL deal with the Gamecocks’ NIL collective Garnet Trust. The star player will be returning to Columbia for the 2025 season and holds a NIL valuation of $2.7 million. His stats do all the talking when it comes to the chances of flipping Gamecocks’ fate. South Carolina’s starting quarterback threw for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns in the air while adding 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns.
Even though his contributions led to a six-game win streak, their luck did not favor them. However, in the meanwhile, Sellers came off as the hot target. That’s why Beamer has to hold off the suitors. Looks like, the HC has made the right decision even though it has been a costly move on the pockets.
LaNorris Sellers has been named the National Freshman Offensive Player of the Year by the Football Writers Association of America. This adds another feather to Shane Beamer’s star QB’s hat. He has been a two-time winner of the SEC Offensive Player of the Week award and a two-time recipient of the league’s Freshman of the Week award. So, with Sellers in his corner, the HC should prioritize building a fortress around him and bolstering his roster rather than meddling in conference affairs.
