Slow starts have followed Shane Beamer through much of his South Carolina tenure, but this season gives the Gamecocks a real shot to flip that script.
Beamer put it plainly in the preseason: “We’ve always played our best at the end of the year,” Shane Beamer said.
That has mostly held true. In four of his five seasons in Columbia, South Carolina has found its best football from mid-October through November. The lone outlier came last year, when USC dropped six of its final seven games.
Even with that late-season slide, the bigger pattern has been hard to ignore. Over that stretch, the Gamecocks have gone 16-8.
The problem has been what came before it. Early losses have repeatedly kept South Carolina from reaching the level it wants - and nowhere was that more painful than 2024, when the Gamecocks closed the regular season on a 6-0 run but still missed the College Football Playoff after a 3-3 start.
That’s why the start of 2026 feels so important. For once, the opening stretch lines up in a way that could actually help South Carolina build momentum instead of chasing it.
Kent State and Towson are both home guarantee games. Mississippi State also comes to Columbia, and the Bulldogs haven’t beaten an SEC team not named Arkansas since 2022.
Then comes what many are already circling as the first real test: a Sept. 26 trip to Alabama. After that, Kentucky comes to town with a new coach, a new quarterback and four straight losses in the series.
Nothing in college football is ever quite that clean, of course. Injuries happen.
Games tighten up. A punt return can change everything.
And if any program understands that no game should be treated as automatic, it’s South Carolina.
Still, the path is there. This could be the best chance in Beamer’s six-year run to stack wins early and avoid digging a hole.
His five seasons have been remarkably consistent at 3-2 out of the gate, except for a 2-3 start in 2023. Three of those years turned into strong seasons.
Two did not.
And the early misses have lingered.
Kentucky in 2021: South Carolina rushed 26 times for 58 yards, while two Wildcat fumbles gave the Gamecocks nothing in return.
North Carolina in 2023: Spencer Rattler was sacked nine times, and three trips inside the 25-yard line produced only three points.
LSU in 2024: the one that still sticks. There was questionable officiating in that game, but South Carolina still had chances to win it. That loss hung over the playoff discussion all offseason.
The Gamecocks don’t want to spend this year looking back at any of that.
In Other News...
DJ Blacks Return Is Giving South Carolina Fans A Real Reason To Watch
DJ Blacks return has given South Carolina camp a little extra buzz, and the timing makes sense. After transferring back to the program, the wide receiver is already drawing praise from offensive coordinator Kendal Briles and coach Mike Furrey, who have pointed to the way he has grown as a receiver while preparing for the 2026 season.
What stands out most is the complete player the Gamecocks think theyre getting back, with his route running, speed and overall play all singled out during preseason work. South Carolina opens the season against Kent State with a 12:45 p.m. kickoff on SEC Network, and Blacks role is one of the more intriguing storylines as the Gamecocks get ready to find out how much his return can matter. [Read more 🡒]
South Carolina Pressure Is Rising Again Around Shane Beamer
Shane Beamers name is back in an uncomfortable place as the 2026 season approaches. Bruce Feldman of The Athletic included the South Carolina coach among the SECs hot-seat candidates, a reminder that last seasons 4-8 finish has left plenty of questions hanging around the program even after a better showing in 2024. In a league where patience is always in short supply, the Gamecocks will be watched closely from the start.
The pressure around Beamer is part of a broader conversation in the SEC, with Mississippi States Jeff Lebby also drawing mention for similar reasons. For South Carolina, the issue is less about one rough year than the need to open the new season with real momentum and show that the program is still moving in the right direction. The early stretch now carries added weight, because a strong start could steady things quickly, while another slow one would only deepen the scrutiny. [Read more 🡒]