South Carolina football: 3 biggest offseason questions facing Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks
By John Buhler
The South Carolina football program begins its first season under new head coach Shane Beamer in 2021.
In a win-now campaign for the 2020 South Carolina football team, the Gamecocks did not get it done.
While we were in the midst of a global pandemic, South Carolina went 2-8 in Will Muschamp’s final year in Columbia. The university fired its former head coach before the end of the season. With former Oklahoma Sooners assistant head coach Shane Beamer coming back to South Carolina, the Gamecocks will have their work cut out for them during this rebuilding process.
What makes Beamer an interesting hire is not who his father is, but that he was at South Carolina during the glory days of the SEC East program. He saw first-hand what it takes to build a winning program here when he was on Steve Spurrier’s staff. 2021 will be a year of great challenges for the Gamecocks, but hopefully, it is one that sets them up for future success down the road.
Biggest offseason questions facing South Carolina football
3. Can the running game carry the Gamecocks to a few extra wins?
For Beamer to turn around this South Carolina program, he and his staff must identify strengths on both sides of the ball. While I will touch on South Carolina’s slightly better defense in a bit, let’s look at the offense and see where the Gamecocks can win from day one. The logical spot would be to run the ball relentlessly behind a solid offensive line with an underrated rushing attack.
Up front, South Carolina has ample starting experience. This will allow junior Kevin Harris and freshman Marshawn Lloyd to give this South Carolina offense an identity. Add in that Beamer is best known for being a tight ends coach, and this totally lines up with what South Carolina could try to do offensively. A more ground-control offensive approach is something worth building on.
While South Carolina may not be ready to push for bowl eligibility in 2021, the Gamecocks might be able to steal a few wins here and there in SEC play. Though the Florida Gators and the Georgia Bulldogs loom large atop the SEC East standings, South Carolina can battle with the likes of Kentucky, Missouri, Tennessee and Vanderbilt for the middle of the pack in the division in 2021.
Keep in mind that Lloyd did not play last year due to a torn ACL. He was a former four-star recruit coming out of high school and a top-50 overall player in 2020. Assuming he has his health, South Carolina could be sneaky good at running the football in 2021. The best part is Lloyd does not have to be the workhorse right away, as Harris is one of the best returning running backs in the SEC.