South Carolina’s 2025 season opens with a familiar question hanging over Shane Beamer: which version of the Gamecocks are we getting?
The one that climbed to nine wins in 2024, a mark only Steve Spurrier had reached in the regular season over the last 40 years? Or the one that unraveled in December, finished 4-8 and somehow turned a 30-3 halftime lead into a 31-30 loss to Texas A&M?
That whiplash is the backdrop for a huge year in Columbia, and Beamer hasn’t run from the expectations. He tried to dial them back in November, but he still sounds convinced this roster can be more than a fringe story.
“I think we’ve brought in a lot of immediate-impact guys. They've been a very mature group since they came back in January,” he said. “There's a lot of older guys on our team that have been around, and they know what they want to get done.”
The challenge now is simple to say and hard to deliver: South Carolina has to stop being the team that spikes and dips. Beamer has talked about matching Spurrier’s standard of steady winning seasons, and this might be the year that decides whether that’s realistic or just a good idea that never fully lands.
There are reasons people around the program are talking themselves into the Gamecocks. There are also a few obvious pressure points that could drag the whole thing off course.
On offense, Beamer is turning to his fourth coordinator in six seasons, and Kendal Briles arrives with the sort of reputation that should bring clarity right away. USC has plenty of new faces everywhere except quarterback, which is usually the one place an offense wants some comfort and continuity. The question is whether that stability under center can carry a group that’s still sorting itself out around him.
The middle of the defense may end up being the backbone. Clayton White’s units over the last five years have tended to be defined either by the front or the back end, but this season the linebackers are the group expected to drive things.
Everyone who had a major role there last year is back, and three experienced players should anchor what is mostly a 4-2-5 look. That flexibility matters because they’ll need to handle both run support and coverage responsibilities.
Special teams could also become a headache. As preseason camp wound down, South Carolina still hadn’t settled on a No. 1 kicker.
That may end up being a footnote. Or it may become the kind of issue that grows teeth fast, especially for a coach named Beamer.
The biggest reason for the optimism is LaNorris Sellers. He’s become a favorite in the “dark horse” and “sneaky good” conversations that followed the Gamecocks through the summer.
Sellers flashed at the end of the 2024 regular season, then struggled in 2025, and that’s the tension with him: the talent and athleticism are obvious, but so is the inconsistency. When he’s in rhythm and allowed to play his game, he can look special.
When he isn’t, the offense can bog down in a hurry.
Dylan Stewart is another player who has fueled the buzz around South Carolina, with some talking about him as a potential Top-10 NFL draft pick. But his availability is a real issue.
He hasn’t fully practiced since last season, when he finished with basically a broken back. He did his rehab work, missed all spring, and was out for at least the first three weeks of preseason camp.
Matt Fuller is another key piece, and perhaps the clearest example of a role waiting to be seized. People wondered last year why he didn’t get more chances, especially after that touchdown run at LSU and with the offense searching for answers. Now he’s the No. 1 running back, and outside of Sellers, the Gamecocks may go as far as he takes them.
The schedule leaves little room for drift. South Carolina opens with Kent State on Sept. 5, then Towson on Sept. 12 before getting into SEC play against Mississippi State on Sept.
- Alabama follows on Sept. 26, and Florida on Oct. 10 looms as one of the season’s pivot points.
Beamer’s group should be 4-1 by then if things are going according to plan, with Alabama the only expected loss in that stretch. Beat Florida on the road, and the path opens wide: double-digit wins, a playoff berth, even the kind of season that changes the conversation. Lose it, and the margin for error gets thin fast.
That’s what makes the late-season stretch so tricky. Nov. 14 at Arkansas could turn into a trap if South Carolina needs it for bowl eligibility, because Georgia comes the following week.
Then comes Clemson on Nov. 28, where Beamer has already gone 2-0. Only two other South Carolina coaches have ever won three games at Memorial Stadium, and neither got to that third before dropping at least one.
For a team trying to prove it can be steady instead of streaky, the road is lined with tests that will say plenty about whether this season becomes a breakthrough or another reminder of how hard consistency is to find in Columbia.
In Other News...
Williams-Brice Changes Could Affect How Gamecocks Fans Reach Their Seats
Williams-Brice Stadium is in the middle of a multi-phase renovation, and the earliest changes are already aimed at making it easier for fans to move through the building on game days. The biggest visible shift this season is the removal of a winding ramp, which is being replaced by new staircases to help with foot traffic as supporters make their way to their seats.
More changes are still ahead. Later phases are set to bring premium areas, an escalator and new elevators, along with cosmetic work on the west facade, so the fan experience around the stadium will keep evolving even after the current construction settles in. For now, those heading to games are being told to use designated gates and expect some adjustments in how they access different parts of the stadium. [Read more 🡒]
Dawn Staley Just Added Another Proven Piece To South Carolina's Stack Roster
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For a program that keeps stacking proven talent, Daniels fits the profile in the way South Carolina likes most: she has played in meaningful games and has earned a reputation on the defensive end. The addition only strengthens the sense that Staley is not waiting around to fill future needs, even if the full shape of the roster remains something to watch as the calendar keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Tight End Embraces The Role Gamecocks Need Right Now
A week before Kent State opens its season at Williams-Brice Stadium, Reno Roehm is already thinking like the kind of depth piece every South Carolina team needs. The Ohio native is the only player on the Gamecocks roster from his home state, and his value goes beyond the traditional tight end job. For now, his path is mostly through special teams and scout-team work, the unglamorous assignments that help a program get ready for Saturdays while keeping him in position for offensive chances when they come.
Roehm has talked about embracing versatility, which matters at a spot that asks for more than just blocking and catching. In South Carolinas offense, the tight end has to be smart, dependable and ready to handle a lot of different responsibilities, and Roehm appears comfortable leaning into that. It is the kind of role that rarely draws attention until a game forces a team to lean on it, and the Gamecocks will be glad to have someone willing to do the little things while staying prepared for whatever opens up. [Read more 🡒]