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After a year-long hiatus, the 2021 SEC Media Days are back and underway at the Wynfrey Hotel in Hoover, Alabama. New South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer made his debut appearance Monday to kick off the talking season.
Tight end Nick Muse and defensive end Kingsley “J.J.” Enagbare joined Beamer to speak on what changes the Gamecocks plan to bring to the field in the upcoming season.
Shane Beamer bringing in a new era in Columbia
Beamer is certainly making a buzz while he prepares for his first year leading the Gamecocks. He comes to South Carolina from Oklahoma. At Oklahoma, he served as the assistant head coach for offense for the past three seasons.
But Beamer is no stranger to South Carolina. This will be his fifth season with the Gamecocks and his first as head coach.
Enagbare explained to the media how Beamer is already bringing high energy and enthusiasm back to the program in his short time as head coach.
South Carolina attacking the transfer portal
The South Carolina program has struggled to land a top 15 recruiting class since Steve Spurrier’s lead in 2009. Nonetheless, Beamer acted as recruiting coordinator on that staff which was during his first stint in South Carolina. Now the question remains as to how he looks to duplicate that success.
But Beamer has a wide variety of experience in building programs throughout his career. Considered one of the best recruiters in the country as an assistant head coach, he looks to make an immediate impact in Columbia.
He addressed how he is approaching the transfer portal since taking over for the Gamecocks.
“With us this year, we had to take advantage and utilize the portal probably more so than any other year. Just the fact that the signing class that was committed when I got hired was not very big. We had to attack the portal just to get to the limit of 85 scholarships, which we’re still trying to reach right now as well,” he said.
He touched on whether they will save spots in the current recruiting class or if they plan to fill holes on the roster year-to-year.
But regardless of reviving their rankings, the main focus of his first year as head coach is creating a new culture and continuing the exciting new momentum.
