South Carolina and coach Shane Beamer have agreed to a contract extension through the 2030 season, the university announced Friday. With it comes a pay raise that boosts his salary to $8.15 million in 2025 with a $100,000 increase in each following season, according to The State.
“As I’ve said before, this is my dream job,” Beamer said in a statement. “My family and I love being here. We’ve accomplished a lot on and off the field over the past four years, but we’re not satisfied. There’s more to do and we’re just getting started.”
The Gamecocks flirted with the expanded College Football Playoff in their fourth year under Beamer. After a 3-3 start to the year — with all three losses coming against ranked SEC opponents — South Carolina closed the regular season on a six-game winning streak, including triumphs against Texas A&M eventual ACC champion Clemson.
South Carolina earned a Citrus Bowl berth and finished No. 19 in the final AP Poll Top 25, its highest ranked finish under Beamer. The Gamecocks have made it to a bowl game in three out of four years with Beamer leading the way.
Playoff a possibility in 2025
South Carolina has its sights set on more next season as a dark horse to actually make the playoff field after falling short in 2024. CBS Sports’ Dennis Dodd has South Carolina firmly in the mix: Beamer’s squad landed at No. 11 in Dodd’s way-too-early top 25 ahead of the 2025 season, ahead of the likes of Alabama and Ole Miss.
South Carolina’s path won’t be easy with road games at Missouri, LSU, Ole Miss and Texas A&M and a home tilt against Alabama, but strength of schedule could work in the Gamecocks’ favor — especially if they’re able to reach at least nine wins against such a gauntlet.
South Carolina has also parlayed its success from 2024 into an impressive transfer portal haul. The Gamecocks have received 13 transfer commitments thus far, four of which are considered four-star prospects, per 247Sports’ Transfer Portal Rankings. Eight of South Carolina’s incoming transfers are from power-conference programs.
Building behind Sellers
A big reason for South Carolina’s ascendancy in 2024 was the play of first-year starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who steadily improved as the year went on and flashed tremendous upside throughout. He was named the SEC Freshman of the Year after throwing for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for another 674 yards and seven touchdowns.
The 6-foot-3 and 242-pound Sellers tossed 1,306 of those yards and 12 of those touchdowns (to just three interceptions) in South Carolina’s last five regular season games. He also had a heroic performance in the finale against Clemson, rushing for 166 yards and two touchdowns — including the decisive score in the 17-14 win — on just 16 carries.
Sellers is already garnering attention as a top-10 returning quarterback in 2025. He’s a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, given his talent, and he has the capability to win games on his own. He’s the exact type of blue-chip signal caller that South Carolina needs as it looks to elevate to a new level.
