South Carolina football needs some gifts this Christmas.
South Carolina enters the holiday season with uncertainties in the program. The team fought for a two-win season in 2020, opted out of a bowling game, fired their head coach in the middle of the season and hired Shane Beamer to clean up the mess.
Gamecocks desperately need some momentum, whether in the field, in recruitment or in the technical team. Let’s look at some items on South Carolina’s wish list as we celebrate Christmas.
New coaching hires
Shane Beamer was hired as a South Carolina coach earlier this month, but he has not yet named the team members he will take to Columbia in 2021. Part of this is due to the fact that he stayed with Oklahoma during the Big XII championship game, I just landed in South Carolina full time last Sunday.
Many of their technical targets are still with their respective teams, so the announcements may be waiting until after the cup season.
Still, Gamecock fans are eager to see the ‘debut team’ that Beamer said he would put together. Several names were mentioned in relation to the coordinator openings, including Mike Bobo, Garrett Riley, Jay Bateman, Jon Heacock and Derek Mason, but no moves were made on that front.
There were rumors that two coaches, Erik Kimrey and Will Friend, would be the first to sign, so dominoes could fall soon. Still, people want to know soon, as fans want something to be happy about this off season.
Defenders
Gamecocks are losing almost all of their 2020 defense star power, as the team saw six defenders announce transfer plans or choose to leave the program, if leader Ernest Jones went on to the NFL draft and could lose a handful of veterans along the defensive line.
South Carolina is in desperate need of bodies on this side of the ball and they tried to solve the problem with the 2021 recruiting class. Unfortunately, the small class did little to add depth, which means that Shane Beamer will need to attack the transfer portal heavily. In the next months.
For Gamecocks to see any kind of progress in 2021, they need to be endowed with several stellar defenders.
2021
It was a difficult year for South Carolina football, as the team scored 2-8, lost a shot and is in transition under Shane Beamer. In the case of Gamecocks, 2021 cannot come fast enough.
The new year brings hope, however, as the Gamecocks are looking forward to a new technical team, the possibility of a new offensive scheme and a new culture in Columbia. There is a new excitement around the team that will only continue to grow with Shane Beamer leading the program.