‘There is no ceiling.’ Shane Beamer creates expectations for South Carolina football

Almost 14 minutes into what became a 15-minute, 10-second opening statement turned monologue, Shane Beamer brought up expectations.

Beamer has spoken of forecasts in the past, but it is often prompted and it is often vague. When asked a month and a half ago what success would look like, Beamer gave a vanilla, coach-speak statement about how the goal is to maximize the potential of his team.

Then he waltzed into the ballroom at the Dallas Omni for SEC Media Days on Monday and perhaps the lights triggered something. Or, maybe, it was staring a few hundred media folks who don’t cover South Carolina and, therefore, only know the Gamecocks as the often-middling SEC squad.

“We have a championship mindset at the University of South Carolina. Make no mistake about it,” Beamer said. “There is no ceiling at the University of South Carolina as well.”

Then Beamer said the “P” word.

“Our expectations at South Carolina are to compete for a spot in that 12-team playoff,” Beamer said emphatically, not yet ready to quell the excitement. “Year in and year out.”

For reference: If the 12-team playoff was in effect last year, four SEC teams (five if you include Texas) would have made the playoff. The year prior, it would have only been three. The common thread? All of those squads won at least 10 regular-season games. That is the blueprint. LSU won just nine regular-season contests each of the past two seasons and would have been left out both times.

So, in short, Beamer is really saying, “Our expectations at South Carolina is to win 10 regular-season games. Year in and year out.”

It should be said, South Carolina has won 10 games just four times in history. The Gamecocks won just five games last year. And, yes, South Carolina has a schedule that includes Alabama, Oklahoma, LSU, Missouri and Clemson.

Many nationally are not bullish on a South Carolina squad that lost its starting quarterback (Spencer Rattler) and arguably its best player (Xavier Legette). Beamer knows this, even acknowledging the Gamecocks will likely be picked among the bottom four when the SEC preseason media poll comes out on Friday.

Yet, he spent the majority of Monday building hype around his team.

And, before you say, Well, duh, that’s what media days is for, consider that Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin went to the podium after Beamer reiterating that the rankings mean nothing and all the preseason acclaim is “rat poison.”

Kiffin had to temper expectations. Beamer created them.

“I really, really, really like our football team going into 2024,” Beamer said. “Most of you don’t. That’s OK.”

Beamer’s reason for optimism makes sense.

The offensive line, which suffered a debilitating amount of injuries, is not just healthy, but loaded with young guys like Tree Babalade and Cason Henry who now have experience.

The quarterback position, likely to be filled by LaNorris Sellers, is not going to fall off a cliff in the post-Spencer Rattler era. It is true we haven’t seen much of Sellers against SEC competition. It is also true that when asked how defenses will try and stop Sellers, linebacker Debo Williams paused for 10 seconds before giving an answer (use a spy) then refuting it (If they use a spy, he’ll throw it all over the field).

Yes, the wide receiver room is a question mark — perhaps heightened given the fact that Beamer all but avoided speaking of them Monday — but the Gamecocks bring in running back Rocket Sanders. If healthy, he has already proven he can be one of the most productive tailbacks in the SEC.

And the defense, though filled with blemishes last year, actually performed quite well once defensive coordinator Clayton White switched to a 3-3-5 scheme. How much better will the Gamecocks be now that they’ve practiced it for an entire offseason?

Helping that scheme, too, is a reloaded roster that blends experienced returners — Williams, DT Alex Huntley, DT Tonka Hemingway, etc — and a new cast of ridiculous athletes. Guys like Georgia Tech transfer Kyle Kennard and five-star freshman Dylan Stewart, whose mere name will bring a smile to Beamer’s face.

Beamer put his cards on the table Monday. Sort of like Gamecocks basketball coach Lamont Paris did during his media day last year, where he thanked the media for picking South Carolina and went into a long answer that included the words “standard deviation.” As South Carolina basketball defied expectations en route to a 26-win season, that speech felt like the ignition.

Perhaps the same will be true for Beamer. That Monday’s monologue will be some magnificent clip played on loop for years to come, serving as the next Gamecock rallying cry. Or it’ll get in the possession of every Clemson fan and be used in mocking social media posts.

In either case, the clip will likely start with this quote.

“We have players that stayed in this program that could have gone to other schools,” Beamer said. “They didn’t stay here to be average and go 6-6.”