Kirby Smart’s coaching tree has grown fast, and this weekend it puts two of his most visible branches under the microscope.
Dan Lanning at Oregon and Shane Beamer at South Carolina both enter games against higher-ranked top-12 opponents, and both are dealing with far more than just a single Saturday result. Early in the season, the stakes around these matchups already feel bigger than the records attached to them.
Lanning’s Oregon run has been strong on paper. Since arriving in 2021, he has gone 50-9 and is 4-2 in bowl games. But Oregon had already established itself before he got to Eugene, and the expectation was that the former Georgia defensive coordinator would push the Ducks past the familiar ceiling of 10-2 seasons and playoff frustration.
That pressure has only sharpened after Oregon’s playoff losses. The Ducks won the Big 10 in 2024 with a perfect 13-0 mark, but they were beaten by Ohio State by 20 in the 2024 playoff and then lost to Indiana by 34 last season.
Then came the upset loss to Oklahoma State in Week 2, which has left fans wanting more than another year as a playoff hopeful. They want national-title relevance.
That is why No. 12 USC matters so much.
A win keeps Oregon in the thick of that conversation. A loss would almost certainly cool it, and likely knock the Ducks out of the top 25.
Beamer’s situation at South Carolina carries a different kind of pressure. When he was hired in 2020, there was plenty of optimism in Columbia. He arrived with the energy and personality that Gamecock fans had been missing since Steve Spurrier, and he came with the added cachet of being Frank Beamer’s son.
There have been real wins on the recruiting trail. South Carolina signed two five-stars for the first time in program history in 2024, and the program has landed top-25 recruiting classes nationally since 2022.
But the production on the field has not matched that talent. Beamer still has not delivered a 10-win season, and he has not won a bowl game since his first year in Columbia.
The frustration boiled over again after last week’s loss to Mississippi State, with some fans already calling for South Carolina to move on from him before the season is over.
“For anyone wondering, Shane Beamer's buyout is $27.9 million and drops to $22.1 million on Dec. 31.”
Now comes No. 8 Alabama, and this one could swing the mood around the program in a hurry.
South Carolina has been close against Alabama under Beamer, losing by one possession in both meetings since 2020. But close has not been enough, and Beamer’s 3-5 record in one-possession games since 2024 has only fed the frustration.
A win would do more than check off an upset. It would give Beamer a chance to reset the conversation in Columbia and show that South Carolina can finish the games that have kept slipping away.
In Other News...
Five-Star Kellan Hall Just Gave Georgia Fans A Reason To Watch
Five-star recruit Kellan Hall is back on the road this week, and Georgia will get an important in-person look as he visits Athens during the Bulldogs game against Oklahoma. Hall has already drawn plenty of attention on the recruiting trail, and while Oklahoma has long been viewed as the predicted landing spot, he remains uncommitted and has kept Georgia in his top 10.
The timing of the visit makes it especially notable for Georgia fans, since it comes with the Sooners in town and adds another layer to a high-profile matchup. Even with Oklahoma still considered the favorite, Halls presence in Athens gives Georgia a real chance to make a late impression, and it keeps his recruitment very much worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia's Biggest Edge Vs Oklahoma Just Got More Important
Oklahoma is heading into its matchup with Georgia already dealing with issues up front, and those problems only sharpen the focus on where this game could be won or lost. Brent Venables confirmed that left tackle Michael Fasusi is out and defensive tackle David Stone is questionable, a development that puts even more pressure on a Sooners team trying to withstand one of the SECs most physical fronts.
Venables framed the meeting as the kind of game where line play matters as much as anything else, and that is exactly why Georgia will view this as a chance to lean on its size and depth. With the Sooners preparing for a difficult night and a few key pieces uncertain, the Bulldogs biggest edge now looks even more significant than it did at the start of the week. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Just Got A Massive Backcourt Boost For March Push
For a Georgia program trying to keep its momentum rolling into another March run, the latest news in the backcourt matters. Blue Cain and Marcus Millender both turned down transfer interest and will return for their senior seasons, giving Mike White a pair of experienced guards who already know the demands of playing in this system and the expectations that come with it.
White said both players had been presented with lucrative opportunities elsewhere, but chose to stay and help build on the Bulldogs recent NCAA Tournament appearances. Millenders decision carries an added family angle, too, with the chance to suit up alongside his older brother Kemauri after his recent move to Athens, giving Georgia a little more continuity and a little more depth where it can least afford to lose either. [Read more 🡒]