COLUMBIA — South Carolina football is ready to take the field for the first time in 39 weeks.
The Gamecocks begin Year 6 with coach Shane Beamer on Sept. 5 against Kent State. Kickoff is set for 12:45 p.m. ET (SEC Network) in Williams-Brice Stadium.
South Carolina is coming off a 4-8 season but returns a trio of stars in starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers, edge rusher Dylan Stewart and wide receiver Nyck Harbor, along with 25 new transfers.
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#beamer

South Carolina has signed a top-20 recruiting class — according to the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings — in each of the last four cycles. Head coach Shane Beamer and his staff are working to make it five in a row this winter.
As of Aug. 16, the Gamecocks have the No. 25 class in the nation. That also ranks 13th out of 16 SEC teams. Some teams have already filled out an entire pledge list, but USC currently has just 17 total commits heading into football season.
Eight of the 17 commits in the class are blue-chippers. The headliner gave the Gamecocks what might be the biggest recruiting victory of the Beamer era on July 1. Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson chose USC over Michigan, Auburn, Texas A&M and others. He's the highest-rated defensive commit in program history.
"I love the people at South Carolina. They always made it feel like home," Dobson told Rivals' Chad Simmons. "The development, not only on the field, but off the field, was big too. They will help me become a better man. Also on the field, I know Coach Gray and Coach White will take care of me and develop me."
Dobson also kicked off a massive string of commits for the Gamecocks last month. Each of the first four days of July brought a pledge from a blue-chipper. Dobson, Hough four-star safety Davion Jones, Irmo (S.C.) four-star interior offensive lineman Nate Carson and Raleigh (N.C.) Rolesville four-star EDGE Jayden Broadie vaulted South Carolina up to No. 25 in the team rankings.

#star #class

South Carolina senior transfer wide receiver Jayden Gibson and sophomore wide receiver Jayden Sellers each endured season-ending, lower body injuries this week in practice.
Gibson spent the last four seasons at Oklahoma, appearing in 22 games (one start) with 15 catches for 387 yards (25.8 avg) and five touchdowns for the Sooners.
Sellers appeared in seven games (two starts) in his first season with Gamecocks in 2025. He had 22 catches for 337 yards (15.3 avg) leading all Carolina freshmen. The Florence native had four catches for a season-high 127 yards in a win against Coastal Carolina, hauling in a 75-year touchdown pass.
"I am extremely disappointed for both of these young men," USC coach Shane Beamer said. "I know how hard each of them has worked over the spring and summer in getting ready for 2026 to help our team. I have full confidence they will both overcome the adversity they're facing, and we will help them in whatever way we can throughout the rehab process moving forward."

#season #catches #receiver

COLUMBIA — It took South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer four seconds after saying "Yeah" to articulate what he's seen from freshman offensive lineman Darius Gray so far.
"He's pretty impressive, he really is," Beamer said Aug. 11, drawing attention to the fact that unlike a lot of his teammates, he didn't graduate high school early to join the team in January.
"He just showed up in the summer time and the summer he had was elite. What he was able to do physically in the summer time was really impressive as a freshman and what he's able to do so far in practice is impressive."
Gray was Beamer's highest-rated prospect in South Carolina's 2026 signing class, before Julian Walker flipped from Michigan on early signing day and took that top spot. Gray is the No. 2 interior offensive line recruit nationally, according to the 247Sports Composite.
Gray committed on Aug. 22, 2025, with his other final options LSU, Ohio State, Tennessee and Clemson. Ten offensive linemen transferred after last season and 10 transferred in, with Gray one of five freshmen in the room.

#gray

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football held its second preseason practice on Aug. 8 at the Long Family Football Operations Center.
Weekend practices tend to bring some visitors. Coach Shane Beamer was joined by his son, Hunter. Starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers and wide receiver Jayden Sellers' dad, Norris, was watching practice from the sideline as well.
Reporters were able to observe the first five periods of practice, which consisted of warmups and position drills. The players will not be in full pads until Aug. 14.
South Carolina's season opener is Sept. 5 (12:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network) against Kent State in Williams-Brice Stadium.
Here's what we saw at practice No. 2.

#carolina

COLUMBIA — South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer is trying to make sense of the latest change in college eligibility rules right before preseason practice begins.
U.S. District Judge Charlotte Sweeney ruled July 31 that players in the high school class of 2022 who didn't redshirt or turn pro can apply for a fifth season in 2026-27.
Does that mean someone might be a late add to the Gamecocks' roster?
"Yeah, we've had some discussion but really we're kind of in a holding pattern until we get some more clarity from NCAA, SEC," Beamer said Aug. 6. "I don't think anybody's really doing much of anything right now.
"Is there anything imminent? No. Is there any player that I've had a discussion with and said, 'If this passes, we want you to come back, or we want to add you to our team?' I have not. Never say never. We'll always do what's best for our program but we don't anticipate anything changing."

#don 't

While millions of TV viewers saw the impact of Luke Kuechly's skills with the Carolina Panthers over the years, few knew how hard he hit better than those who worked and played with him every day.
Mick Mixon, former Panthers play-by-play announcer: "So a lifetime ago I played in a cover band called the Franklin Street Band. We were hired to play Casey Beamer's rehearsal dinner party in Georgia. Frank Beamer, head coach of Virginia Tech is Casey Beamer's dad. The Panthers had just drafted Luke Kuechly about three weeks prior. So here's my moment. I say, Coach Beamer, your Hokies played Boston College. What can you tell me about our first round draft pick? He set his beverage down and he looked it right into my soul. And he said, Mick, let me tell you something. In 40 years of coaching, I've gone across the field exactly one time to congratulate another player who single-handedly kicked our [butt]. And that was Luke Kuechly."
Al Holcomb, former Panthers defensive coach: "From a linebacking standpoint, one of the biggest things about Luke was he had a great first step. His first step was so quick that it was hard for offensive linemen to get up and try to block him. He was out in front of them beating them to the point of attack."
Steve Wilks, former Panthers defensive coordinator: "As a coaching staff, we would go downstairs and probably have dinner around seven 7:30. We've gotten off the field maybe about 2 o'clock. Meetings are over maybe about 3:30, no later than four. We're downstairs eating and the next thing you know it's 7:45 and Luke comes around the corner, so when everybody's gone home, Luke is still there."
Kurt Coleman, former Panthers safety: "I think for myself, I never got a chance to really appreciate Luke until I got to watch Luke with my own eyes. And when you get to watch him with your own eyes, you understand why he's great. Yeah, he's an incredible athlete, incredibly smart. But he wants it."

#coach #played #casey

Here's a terrifying thought for you: one day in the distant future college football fans may forget just how amazing Brock Bowers was during his Georgia Bulldogs career.
I know, it's difficult to imagine. Bowers played three seasons of college football and was named All-SEC and All-American in each of them. He won the Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end two years running. Over 50 catches every season, 2538 receiving yards, and 26 receiving touchdowns. Every honor and number is truly impressive.
But a picture is worth a thousand words. Just ask the South Carolina Gamecocks.
In 2022 Bowers could have beaten Shane Beamer's squad all by himself, scoring three touchdowns, one on the ground and two through the air, including a 78 yarder in which he made the Gamecock defense look like it was stuck in concrete.
Unfortunately for the Garnet and Black Bowers had teammates, on both sides of the ball. The Gamecocks ran only 34 plays on offense in a first half that saw them shut out while the Bulldogs cruised out to a 24-0 halftime lead. Somehow it got even worse in the second half, with Georgia veritably tap dancing to a three more touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 45-0 lead into the fourth quarter. The Dawgs would tack on one more field goal before the 'Cocks got on the board late to avoid a shutout, losing "only" 48-7.

#bulldogs #Football

While talking season is in full swing, only 40 days remain before the preseason predictions cease and SEC football officially begins.
Five head coaches in the league are set to make their debuts with their new respective squads, as they attempt to usher in a new era by rebuilding and revamping. Others, like Mississippi State head coach Jeff Lebby and South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer, are on the hot seat if they can't turn things around and improve from last season's efforts.
Outside of coaching headlines, major quarterback battles are occurring at Arkansas, Florida, Tennessee and Alabama, as they look to find their starter for the upcoming campaign. Meanwhile, established gunslingers like Trinidad Chambliss and Arch Manning are looking to exceed expectations and bring hardware to the SEC once again.
That's just a small glimpse of all the storylines set to unfold in a few short weeks. The time for talking is almost over, with Missouri opening the season for the SEC against Arkansas-Pine Bluff on September 3.
Based on talent, coaching staff and scheduling, here are my predictions of where each SEC team will finish the 2026-27 season:

#head #predictions #like

SEC Media Days usually center around topics involving improvement for programs and goals for the upcoming season. During Shane Beamer's session, his status as a quasi-streaming celebrity came up during his opening remarks.
Beamer spoke about an offseason trip he took with his family in Turks and Caicos, and how he was recognized in an unlikely location.
"My family and I were in Turks and Caicos back in February and was going through the TSA line down in Turks, and the guy that was doing everything in TSA looked at me and said, You look familiar. And then it hit him. He said, You're an SEC football coach. I watched that Netflix special "Fantasia," because he saw the episode where I sang "Fantasia" to my wife after the A&M game," Beamer shared during SEC Media Days.
The TSA agent might not have remembered the correct name of the show, but Beamer spoke to the impact Netflix's Any Given Saturday has had on the program from a branding standpoint. The Gamecocks have players from Ireland and Germany on their roster this season.
"One, kind of go back to what I said about the whole Netflix special. When we agreed to be one of the teams to participate on the Netflix "Any Given Saturday" documentary, that was one of the things that I thought about, was just the amount of people that would see that and they'd be exposed to SEC football and say, Man, South Carolina looks like a place that I would love to go to school," Beamer said.

#turks #days #fantasia #saturday

The last time South Carolina football welcomed Tennessee to Williams-Brice Stadium, the Gamecocks scored so many touchdowns they ran out of fireworks.
The 63-38 victory over the Vols is a major highlight from the last five seasons under coach Shane Beamer but that was four years ago.
The Vols got revenge a season later with a 41-20 victory in Knoxville but the two teams haven't met since. They will this year when South Carolina hosts Tennessee on Oct. 24.
Beamer fielded various questions at 2026 SEC Media Days in Tampa, Florida, on July 21, mostly about improving from the 4-8 record last year. But Beamer got one question about whether South Carolina upped its fireworks budget in anticipation of the Vols' arrival.
"You said that not me," Beamer said to the reporter. "That was a great night back in 2022, there's no doubt about it. We know it'll be a huge challenge when they come to town this year."

#beamer #carolina #last #fireworks

Tennessee and South Carolina will renew their football series in 2026. The Vols and Gamecocks last played in 2023 with Tennessee winning, 41-20, at Neyland Stadium.
The Gamecocks will host Tennessee on Oct. 24 at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina. The last time the two schools faced each other at Williams-Brice Stadium was on Nov. 19, 2022. South Carolina was victorious, 63-38.
Shane Beamer enters his sixth season as the Gamecocks' head coach in 2026. He took part in SEC football media days on Tuesday in Tampa, Florida and reflected on the 2022 Tennessee-South Carolina contest.
"That was a great night back in 2022," Beamer said. "There's no doubt about it. We know it will be a huge challenge when they come to town this year. Another one, I got asked about playing Georgia again. It's been weird not playing Tennessee the last couple of years, so it will be great having Tennessee back on the schedule this season, too, along with Florida. Three old SEC East opponents and rivals for South Carolina.
"Got a ton of respect for coach (Josh) Heupel and the way he does things. We know he's going to have a really good team coming to town. I was so impressed just watching SEC media day yesterday, the three players that he brought. I mean, so impressed with those three guys just as people and some of their comments for sure. No, that will be a big one when we get to that one, and hopefully we can have the offensive output that we had the last time they were in town."

#town #williams

July has brought four consecutive days of fireworks for Shane Beamer and South Carolina on the recruiting trail.
The Gamecocks have landed a commitment in each of the first four days of the month, vaulting their class up 12 spots to No. 25 in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings. Headlining the new quartet of pledges is one of the nation's best.
Many programs had momentum in the recruitment of Cornelius (N.C.) William Amos Hough five-star cornerback Joshua Dobson over the last year, but South Carolina was previously an in-state program and remained in the mix every step of the way. That paid off.
Texas A&M and Michigan were the two schools that appeared to be in the thick of it for the elite playmaker, but the Gamecocks got him in Columbia for his final official visit and took the lead down the stretch. On July 1, Dobson committed to the SEC program live on the Rivals YouTube channel.
"South Carolina has been with me for a long time," Dobson told Rivals' Chad Simmons, breaking down his decision. "It goes back to the eighth grade. They have recruited me for a long time."

South Carolina kept battling, and the Gamecocks just beat LSU for one of the top defensive targets on their board.
Four-star safety Davion Jones, the No. 139 prospect in the Rivals Industry Ranking, has committed to Shane Beamer.
In the days leading up to the announcement, LSU and South Carolina emerged as the clear frontrunners. Both staffs believed they had positioned themselves to land the standout from Cornelius (N.C.) Hough, but when it came down to the decision, the Gamecocks got the nod.
“It was pretty tough to choose one, but at the end of the day, I feel like I picked the right school,” Jones told Rivals.
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