Beamer gets raise to $8 Million and Extension

[Gradstudent]

USC GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL $8 million man: New contract boosts Shane Beamer’s salary at South Carolina By Jordan Kaye Updated January 24, 2025 9:16 AM|

The University of South Carolina is rewarding Shane Beamer after the Gamecocks’ recent success. On Friday, the South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a contract extension for the Gamecocks’ head football coach that will run through the end 2030 and pay him $8.15 million in 2025 with $100,000 raises in each season that follows.

Beamer’s previous contract, an extension in 2023 that more than doubled his previous salary, ran through 2027 and would have paid him $6.625 million this year with a $250,000 raise in both 2026 and 2027. Even with the raise, Beamer’s salary is still in the middle of the SEC pack. For reference, his $6.4 million pay in 2024 slotted him 33rd nationally and 14th in the SEC — ahead of only Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby ($4.25 million) and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea ($3.19 million). He’s now tied for ninth in the conference along with Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

His extension comes after one of the best seasons in school history — a 9-4 record including six-straight victories to finish the regular season highlighted by a thrilling, come-from-behind win at Clemson. While the remarkable finish to the season did not earn the Gamecocks a spot in the College Football Playoff, it put South Carolina and Beamer squarely in the national spotlight — earning USC a top-15 ranking and Beamer the SEC Coach of the Year award from The Associated press.

It’s the second major decision by new athletic director Jeremiah Donati, who replaced Ray Tanner just a few weeks ago. USC a week ago extended women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley with a contract that will pay her over $4 million a year. It was Tanner who both hired Beamer and negotiated his extension two years ago — and the fact Donati moved to ensure Beamer was around for many years to come is quite the vote of confidence out of the gate. Beamer’s extension, too, comes a month after all 10 of Beamer’s on-field assistants garnered new contracts and raises. In updated buyout terms, Beamer owes USC $5 million if he leaves any time in 2025. That figure drops by $1 million each year of the contract, all the way to zero owed in the final year of the deal.

Shane Beamer contract details

Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025: $8,150,000
Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2027: $8,250,000
Jan. 1, 2027 to Dec. 31, 2027: $8,350,000
Jan. 1, 2028 to Dec. 31, 2028: $8,450,000
Jan. 1, 2029 to Dec. 31, 2029: $8,550,000
Jan. 1, 2030 to Dec. 31, 2030: $8,650,000

SEC football coaching salaries Figures are according to the USA Today salary database. Other than Beamer, salaries here are as of the 2024 season

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia: $13.28 million
2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $10.6 million
3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: $10 million
4. Brian Kelly, LSU: $9.98 million
5. Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $9.01 million
6. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $9 million
7. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri: $9 million
8. Josh Heupel, Tennessee: $9 million
9(T). Brent Venables, Oklahoma: $8.15 million
9(T)Shane Beamer, South Carolina: $8.15 million
11. Billy Napier, Florida: $7.37 million
12. Mike Elko, Texas A&M: $7 million
13. Hugh Freeze, Auburn: $6.73 million
14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas: $6.5 million
15. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State: $4.25 million
16. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: $3.19 million

What about other USC football coaches? ▪
2016-20: Will Muschamp was slated to make $4.4 million in 2020 before the school’s top-paid sports coaches took at 10% pay cut to help with the financial impacts of the COVID pandemic.
▪ 2005-2015: Steve Spurrier made $1.25 million annually when he was hired in late 2004. That grew to $4,028,600 in 2015, the season in which he left the program in October.
▪ 1999-2004: Lou Holtz was making about $900,000 annually in the final years of his USC tenure.
▪ 1994-1998: Brad Scott’s base salary was closer to $130,000 a year with the Gamecocks. He also received a $275,000 loan from the Gamecock Club as part of his final contract. He wasn’t required to repay the loan because he was dismissed.

Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/sports/col...-football/article298644148.html#storylink=cpy

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

Thanks for posting since I do not click on that link. I don't see the buyout info if we were to initiate his departure in the future.
I don't have a problem with making the commitment at this time.

 

[Tngamecock]

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time a coach or player in any organization signs a big contract, the next year they seem to suck

 

[Gradstudent]

Thanks for posting since I do not click on that link. I don't see the buyout info if we were to initiate his departure in the future.
I don't have a problem with making the commitment at this time.

Found this

The contract maintains the existing buyout terms:

• University Termination Without Cause: The university would owe Beamer 65% of the remaining contract value.

• Coach’s Voluntary Departure: If Beamer leaves for another position, he would owe the university $5 million in 2025, decreasing by $1 million each subsequent year until 2030.

 

[Gradstudent]

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time a coach or player in any organization signs a big contract, the next year they seem to suck

Seemed like a trend under Tanner for sure, hopefully, it is different under Donati

 

[Spinal Tap]

This is from ESPN:

The new deal includes a $5 million buyout if Beamer leaves South Carolina in the first year, which drops by $1 million each year of the contract.

Edit to include link: https://www.espn.com/college-footba...lina-extends-football-coach-shane-beamer-2030

 

[Gradstudent]

This is from ESPN:

The new deal includes a $5 million buyout if Beamer leaves South Carolina in the first year, which drops by $1 million each year of the contract.

Edit to include link: https://www.espn.com/college-footba...lina-extends-football-coach-shane-beamer-2030

It interesting, even ESPN does not mentioned what USC would have to pay, which is the most likely outcome, vs Beamer voluntarily leaving on his own accord.

I guess it was to much work to look up what the University would be on the hook for vs just copy what the first initial articles reported

University Termination Without Cause: The university would owe Beamer 65% of the remaining contract value.

 

[PrestonyteParrot]

It interesting, even ESPN does not mentioned what USC would have to pay, which is the most likely outcome, vs Beamer voluntarily leaving on his own accord.

I guess it was to much work to look up what the University would be on the hook for vs just copy what the first initial articles reported

University Termination Without Cause: The university would owe Beamer 65% of the remaining contract value.

I think I would have negotiated better terms for his termination for doing a bad job in exchange for rewarding him for doing a good job.

 

[92Pony]

USC GAMECOCKS FOOTBALL $8 million man: New contract boosts Shane Beamer’s salary at South Carolina By Jordan Kaye Updated January 24, 2025 9:16 AM|

The University of South Carolina is rewarding Shane Beamer after the Gamecocks’ recent success. On Friday, the South Carolina Board of Trustees approved a contract extension for the Gamecocks’ head football coach that will run through the end 2030 and pay him $8.15 million in 2025 with $100,000 raises in each season that follows.

Beamer’s previous contract, an extension in 2023 that more than doubled his previous salary, ran through 2027 and would have paid him $6.625 million this year with a $250,000 raise in both 2026 and 2027. Even with the raise, Beamer’s salary is still in the middle of the SEC pack. For reference, his $6.4 million pay in 2024 slotted him 33rd nationally and 14th in the SEC — ahead of only Mississippi State’s Jeff Lebby ($4.25 million) and Vanderbilt’s Clark Lea ($3.19 million). He’s now tied for ninth in the conference along with Oklahoma’s Brent Venables.

His extension comes after one of the best seasons in school history — a 9-4 record including six-straight victories to finish the regular season highlighted by a thrilling, come-from-behind win at Clemson. While the remarkable finish to the season did not earn the Gamecocks a spot in the College Football Playoff, it put South Carolina and Beamer squarely in the national spotlight — earning USC a top-15 ranking and Beamer the SEC Coach of the Year award from The Associated press.

It’s the second major decision by new athletic director Jeremiah Donati, who replaced Ray Tanner just a few weeks ago. USC a week ago extended women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley with a contract that will pay her over $4 million a year. It was Tanner who both hired Beamer and negotiated his extension two years ago — and the fact Donati moved to ensure Beamer was around for many years to come is quite the vote of confidence out of the gate. Beamer’s extension, too, comes a month after all 10 of Beamer’s on-field assistants garnered new contracts and raises. In updated buyout terms, Beamer owes USC $5 million if he leaves any time in 2025. That figure drops by $1 million each year of the contract, all the way to zero owed in the final year of the deal.

Shane Beamer contract details

Jan. 1, 2025 to Dec. 31, 2025: $8,150,000
Jan. 1, 2026 to Dec. 31, 2027: $8,250,000
Jan. 1, 2027 to Dec. 31, 2027: $8,350,000
Jan. 1, 2028 to Dec. 31, 2028: $8,450,000
Jan. 1, 2029 to Dec. 31, 2029: $8,550,000
Jan. 1, 2030 to Dec. 31, 2030: $8,650,000

SEC football coaching salaries Figures are according to the USA Today salary database. Other than Beamer, salaries here are as of the 2024 season

1. Kirby Smart, Georgia: $13.28 million
2. Steve Sarkisian, Texas: $10.6 million
3. Kalen DeBoer, Alabama: $10 million
4. Brian Kelly, LSU: $9.98 million
5. Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $9.01 million
6. Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $9 million
7. Eliah Drinkwitz, Missouri: $9 million
8. Josh Heupel, Tennessee: $9 million
9(T). Brent Venables, Oklahoma: $8.15 million
9(T)Shane Beamer, South Carolina: $8.15 million
11. Billy Napier, Florida: $7.37 million
12. Mike Elko, Texas A&M: $7 million
13. Hugh Freeze, Auburn: $6.73 million
14. Sam Pittman, Arkansas: $6.5 million
15. Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State: $4.25 million
16. Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: $3.19 million

What about other USC football coaches? ▪
2016-20: Will Muschamp was slated to make $4.4 million in 2020 before the school’s top-paid sports coaches took at 10% pay cut to help with the financial impacts of the COVID pandemic.
▪ 2005-2015: Steve Spurrier made $1.25 million annually when he was hired in late 2004. That grew to $4,028,600 in 2015, the season in which he left the program in October.
▪ 1999-2004: Lou Holtz was making about $900,000 annually in the final years of his USC tenure.
▪ 1994-1998: Brad Scott’s base salary was closer to $130,000 a year with the Gamecocks. He also received a $275,000 loan from the Gamecock Club as part of his final contract. He wasn’t required to repay the loan because he was dismissed.

Read more at: https://www.thestate.com/sports/col...-football/article298644148.html#storylink=cpy

Good Lord, there's a whole lot of stupid numbers in that post!! How did college athletics get here? Dang...

 

[bayrooster]

Good Lord, there's a whole lot of stupid numbers in that post!! How did college athletics get here? Dang...

It tracks with inflation?

 

[Piscis]

I guess Dontai was fighting off a bunch of other programs that were trying to hire Beamer away? Yeah, didn't think so.

 

[gamecox4982]

Anyone making this kind of money without owning their own business is stupid. They have zero skin in the game, therefore nothing to lose if it goes bad. I like Beamer but he nor others in this profession is worth this type of cubbage.

 

[Uscg1984]

The article notes that this raise puts Beamer squarely in the middle of SEC coaching salaries. But when I look at the list, I note that there are probably 8 teams in the SEC which pay their coaches with the expectation that they seriously compete for a national championship in their current position. I believe a 9-4 season would generally be seen as a disappointment at all 8 of those schools.

On the other hand, I think the entire top half of the conference saw this season as disappointing.

To be clear, I'm OK with the contract, but I hope it was delivered with the appropriate message about expectations. When you pay a coach $4m per year, you are happy when he wins 9 games. But when you pay a coach $8m - $9m per year, the expectations are higher. This contract is less a reward for doing well than it is a down-payment on the expected future success.

 

[Lurker123]

I don't know, he's paid middling for the conference. Could we say that expectations are for middling results? Wouldn't we all be happy if that was common place?

 

[ThinnyJ]

This is stupid... We have won nothing

 

[bayrooster]

This is stupid... We have won nothing

Right, not even a bowl game.

 

[Harvard Gamecock]

Is it just me, or does it seem like every time a coach or player in any organization signs a big contract, the next year they seem to suck

I cant speak with complete certainty for other schools/payers/organizations but that seems to be the situation in our case

 

[KingWard]

The article notes that this raise puts Beamer squarely in the middle of SEC coaching salaries. But when I look at the list, I note that there are probably 8 teams in the SEC which pay their coaches with the expectation that they seriously compete for a national championship in their current position. I believe a 9-4 season would generally be seen as a disappointment at all 8 of those schools.

On the other hand, I think the entire top half of the conference saw this season as disappointing.

To be clear, I'm OK with the contract, but I hope it was delivered with the appropriate message about expectations. When you pay a coach $4m per year, you are happy when he wins 9 games. But when you pay a coach $8m - $9m per year, the expectations are higher. This contract is less a reward for doing well than it is a down-payment on the expected future success.

The SEC sucked this year to an extent rarely seen in its vaunted history. Embarrassingly bad, and we did little to assuage the stink.

 

[gamecock stock]

The article notes that this raise puts Beamer squarely in the middle of SEC coaching salaries. But when I look at the list, I note that there are probably 8 teams in the SEC which pay their coaches with the expectation that they seriously compete for a national championship in their current position. I believe a 9-4 season would generally be seen as a disappointment at all 8 of those schools.

On the other hand, I think the entire top half of the conference saw this season as disappointing.

To be clear, I'm OK with the contract, but I hope it was delivered with the appropriate message about expectations. When you pay a coach $4m per year, you are happy when he wins 9 games. But when you pay a coach $8m - $9m per year, the expectations are higher. This contract is less a reward for doing well than it is a down-payment on the expected future success.

I think you accurately reflect my sentiment. I'm happy with the way recruiting, high school and transfers, has gone this year. If we combine that with the kind of coaching job done on the field this past season, the future looks bright.

 

[Tngamecock]

I cant speak with complete certainty for other schools/payers/organizations but that seems to be the situation in our case

I can’t think of any player in the NFL or coach that did better the year after a big contract…maybe it’s just me

 

[HI Cock1]

How many people get 33% raises after a good year?

Just wondering.

 

[bayrooster]

How many people get 33% raises after a good year?

Just wondering.

Other than coaches hired at USC, I got nothin.

 

[gamecock stock]

It seems some are questioning the amount of a raise Beamer is getting. To be clear, I'm not a fan of the amount of the raise either. But Beamer's pay will be at the midpoint of salaries in the SEC. If the midpoint was at $7 million, he would have gotten a $1 million raise. If you think the raise is too much, look in the mirror for who is at fault. We all are to blame. We go to the games, watch on TV or listen on the radio. We value winning on the field more (a lot more) than, for example, people who teach our children, grandchildren and great-great grandchildren. I don't see that ever changing. I know that. You know that. And those in college athletics know that. Our values are out of bounds. It is what it is.

 

[Uscg1984]

One of these days, I would love to see a confident young coach agree to a heavy incentive-laden contract. Something like a healthy $4m base salary, plus $1m bonus for every win in excess of 8, and maybe additional big bonuses for beating Clemson, making the playoffs, winning the championship, etc. Go 16-0 and win the national title and you're guaranteed to be the highest paid coach in the country. Let's see if he has as much confidence in his abilities as we do.

In the age of NIL, maybe coaches should have contracts that require them donate, say, $250K to the collective for every loss below the benchmark. Consider it an investment in his own future. Kind of a "help us help you" kind of thing.

 

[mickray]

"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one....."

 

[Piscis]

One of these days, I would love to see a confident young coach agree to a heavy incentive-laden contract. Something like a healthy $4m base salary, plus $1m bonus for every win in excess of 8, and maybe additional big bonuses for beating Clemson, making the playoffs, winning the championship, etc. Go 16-0 and win the national title and you're guaranteed to be the highest paid coach in the country. Let's see if he has as much confidence in his abilities as we do.

In the age of NIL, maybe coaches should have contracts that require them donate, say, $250K to the collective for every loss below the benchmark. Consider it an investment in his own future. Kind of a "help us help you" kind of thing.

No decent coach with any sort of value in the market would ever agree to that. Coaches know they can have one "good" season at their new job and they will get a huge raise and extension with guaranteed money and a very nice buyout if they are fired. Beamer got a huge raise after 2022 and another huge raise after 2024 for doing nothing more than exceeding pretty low expectations. No other program was even hinting at coming after him after either season.

 

[Uscg1984]

No decent coach with any sort of value in the market would ever agree to that. Coaches know they can have one "good" season at their new job and they will get a huge raise and extension with guaranteed money and a very nice buyout if they are fired. Beamer got a huge raise after 2022 and another huge raise after 2024 for doing nothing more than exceeding pretty low expectations. No other program was even hinting at coming after him after either season.

Which is why I said "one of these days I would love to see it."