The pressure is already building in the SEC before the season has really gotten going.
The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman singled out two league coaches as hot-seat candidates heading into the fall, and both names come with very different kinds of baggage. At South Carolina, Shane Beamer is being viewed as “toasty” despite the 9-4 season the Gamecocks posted in 2024. The reason is simple: last year’s 4-8 finish and a lone SEC win changed the temperature fast.
Feldman pointed to Beamer’s overall work in Columbia as a reason the job hasn’t fully gone sideways. “The son of Virginia Tech legend Frank Beamer has done better than most Gamecocks coaches.
He’s been a good cultural fit, rallying the fan base and also winning a bunch of big-time recruiting battles. He’s also beaten archrival Clemson a few times,” Feldman wrote.
Still, the margin for error looks thin. South Carolina’s September slate gives Beamer a chance to steady things early, and he’ll need to make the most of it.
The issue in Columbia, according to Feldman, wasn’t just the record - it was the offensive change that didn’t land. “...
But last year’s 4-8 season with just one SEC win was a gut punch. Beamer hired the wrong offensive coordinator after Dowell Loggains left to become the head coach at Appalachian State, and I suspect new OC Kendal Briles will be a better fit with QB LaNorris Sellers.”
Mississippi State is in a different spot, but the pressure is just as real. Jeff Lebby enters the season with a 7-18 overall record, and Feldman didn’t sugarcoat how quickly things could turn south in Starkville. “The schedule has the potential to get problematic in a hurry,” Feldman wrote.
That’s because the Bulldogs have no runway to ease into things. After hosting ULM, Mississippi State goes to Minnesota and then to South Carolina.
A 1-2 start against two unranked opponents would already raise eyebrows, and the stretch after that is brutal: vs. No.
25 Missouri, vs. No.
13 Alabama, at No. 11 LSU, vs.
No. 10 Oklahoma and at No.
5 Texas.
Feldman made the point plainly: “Falling back to 4-8 or worse feels dicey.”
For Lebby, the path to buying time starts immediately. For Beamer, it’s about proving last season was the blip and not the new normal.
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 🡒]
Shane Beamer Faces One South Carolina Hurdle He Has To Fix
Shane Beamer has spent much of his time in Columbia pointing to the way his South Carolina teams have traditionally settled in as the season wears on. In four of his five years, the Gamecocks have been at their best from mid-October through November, and even in 2024 they finished strong enough to remind people what the program can look like when it finds its stride.
The problem, of course, is what comes before that stretch. Early losses kept South Carolina out of the College Football Playoff picture last season, and that is the hurdle Beamer has to clear if the Gamecocks want to turn a good finish into something bigger. The 2026 schedule looks like it could give South Carolina a better shot at getting off to a fast start, and if that happens, it could change the shape of the season before the usual late-year surge even arrives. [Read more 🡒]