USATSI
South Carolina coach Shane Beamer is set to receive a significant raise that will more than double his salary, according to ESPN. The university’s board is scheduled to meet Friday to officially approve the new contract, which will reportedly increase Beamer’s salary from $2.75 million to $6.5 million annually.The second-year coach is 15-11 overall and led the Gamecocks to an 8-5 record in 2022, highlighted by back-to-back upset wins over Tennessee (63-38) and Clemson (31-30), both of which were ranked in the top 10 at the time, to finish the season. The victory over the Tigers snapped a seven-game losing streak in the Palmetto Bowl, and South Carolina finished the year at No. 19 in the College Football Playoff rankings. The raise vaults Beamer from the lowest-paid coach among SEC public schools and pushes him towards the middle of the conference, thought it still leaves him well short of the top in the money-hungry SEC. Five SEC coaches now make at least $9 million per season after Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin signed an extension to stay with the Rebels. South Carolina lost a handful of key players to the transfer portal after the 2022 season, including defensive lineman Jordan Burch, top rusher MarShawn Lloyd and tight end Austin Stogner. However, quarterback Spencer Rattler and receiver Antwane Wells Jr. return in 2023 to give the Gamecocks one of the most exciting pairings in the SEC.
Beamer, the son of Hall of Fame coach Frank Beamer, was an unorthodox hire when South Carolina called his number following the 2020 season. Beamer spent the previous five seasons as a special teams coordinator at Oklahoma and Georgia and had never called plays on either side of the ball. However, his familiarity with South Carolina after a four-year stint as an assistant under Steve Spurrier has made Beamer one of the unlikeliest success stories in the SEC.