South Carolina names Oklahoma's Beamer its football coach
By PETE IACOBELLI - Dec. 06, 2020 05:15 PM EST
FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2018, file photo, Shane Beamer, an assistant football coach at Oklahoma, speaks during a news conference in Norman, Okla. Beamer is returning to South Carolina, this time as head coach. A source close to the search told The Associated Press on Saturday night, Dec. 5, that Beamer will be hired and take over the program run the past five seasons by Will Muschamp. Muschamp was let go last month with three games remaining in the season. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because South Carolina has not yet made the hire official. (Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman via AP, File)
FILE - In this Jan. 26, 2018, file photo, Shane Beamer, an assistant football coach at Oklahoma, speaks during a news conference in Norman, Okla. Beamer is returning to South Carolina, this time as head coach. A source close to the search told The Associated Press on Saturday night, Dec. 5, that Beamer will be hired and take over the program run the past five seasons by Will Muschamp. Muschamp was let go last month with three games remaining in the season. The person spoke to the AP on the condition of anonymity because South Carolina has not yet made the hire official. (Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman via AP, File)

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has made it official, hiring ex-assistant Shane Beamer as its head football coach.

Beamer, 43, came to campus on Sunday alongside athletic director Ray Tanner and was introduced to the team after spending the past three seasons as assistant head coach and tight ends coach at Oklahoma.

The son of longtime Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer takes over for Will Muschamp, who was fired last month with three games left in the season.

The Gamecocks (2-8) finished their season with a sixth consecutive loss, 41-18 at Kentucky on Saturday. Soon after that, word spread that Beamer was South Carolina's choice to replace Muschamp.

Tanner, the AD since 2012, called Beamer the “perfect fit” to lead the Gamecocks, who have gone 6-16 overall and 5-15 in the Southeastern Conference the past two seasons.

“I believe Shane's energy, enthusiasm, commitment and fondness for our school and program will be met favorably by our student-athletes, staff and fans,” Tanner said in a statement.

Beamer spent four seasons as a South Carolina assistant under Steve Spurrier from 2007-10. He served as recruiting coordinator his final three seasons, helping fashion teams that won the SEC East Division in 2010 and went 11-2 each year from 2011-13.

Beamer also worked for his father at Virginia Tech, Kirby Smart at Georgia and, for the past three seasons, Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma. With the Sooners, Beamer worked with teams that have made the past three College Football Playoffs.

Beamer, who was born in Charleston, said he was happy to be home upon entering the $50 million football operations building that was a pie-in-the-sky dream when he left after the 2010 season.

Now, he has got the resources of an SEC program as he tries to get back to winning like the Gamecocks did when he was here a decade ago.

“I have been preparing for this moment my entire life,” Beamer said. “I am ready and excited” to lead the Gamecocks.

Tanner said he, university President Robert Caslen and athletic administrator Chance Miller talked to several qualified and talented coaches. But “Shane’s candidacy set the bar high," he said.

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