Shane Beamer pressed on the future of LaNorris Sellers, Nyck Harbor

Few teams stand to potentially lose as much to the NFL Draft as South Carolina. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers and receiver Nyckoles Harbor are both draft-eligible and contemplating their next step. Coach Shane Beamer hasn’t wanted to put any additional pressure on those making decisions here in the coming days and weeks.

Still, he had a lot to say. He opened up on the decision-making process.

“That’s what I’ve conveyed to LaNorris, Dylan (Stewart), Nyckoles Harbor, Brandon Cisse, Jalon Kilgore,” Beamer said. “I mean there’s a lot of guys that have NFL decisions that they can make. That’s a few. There’s anybody that’s been in college football for three years has the ability to go to the NFL if they want.”

In the interest of getting a complete picture of his program and where it’s headed, Shane Beamer has encouraged players making a decision, to do so expeditiously. He’s not applying pressure, just outlining the reality that a quicker decision benefits the program.

“Certainly those guys are guys that have decisions to make, and I don’t want to rush them, but certainly I’ve told those guys and I’ve told their families, the quicker they make a decision the better it is for all of us in regards to hiring offensive coaches,” Beamer said. “They want to know, is Nyckoles Harbor and LaNorris Sellers, am I going to be coaching them if they come to South Carolina? So the quicker I can tell them yes, the better it is for all of us, this entire program.

“Same thing from a defensive standpoint as we go down the road with the portal on offense and defense. Guys that want to come here and play, they want to know who’s going to be there with them.”

Beamer pointed out that Stewart was limited by injury in the game against Clemson. Beamer claimed he ‘basically had a broken back.’

He said that to ensure fans that Stewart wasn’t simply giving up on his team by not playing a lion’s share of the snaps against the Tigers. Stewart’s love for the team is not in question, nor is that of Sellers, Harbor or several others with a decision to make.

“I want everybody to make the right decision for them when the time is right,” Beamer said. “We’re not pressuring anybody. Those are conversations I’ve had with guys leading into this week. Those are conversations that I’ve had with those guys this week. I’m not going to give you my deepest, most inner feelings, but I do know this: Those are all, if you talk about Dylan and LaNorris specifically, those are great young men, and Nyckoles too, that really believe in what we’re doing. And my conversations with them are they’re extremely excited about what this team could be in 2026.”

If South Carolina is going to reach its heights — potentially the College Football Playoff, if a near-miss in 2024 is any indication — it’s going to need guys like Sellers and Harbor on the roster.

“They’re a big part of that, there’s no question,” Shane Beamer said. “I know there’s no sense of, ‘I’m not really sure South Carolina’s where I want to be,’ it’s them making the best decisions for them and their families and their futures. And my conversations with them and their families have been awesome, along with agents that they have. We want them to do what’s best for them, and we’ve got to do what’s best for our overall program, there’s no question about it.

“But I think all those young men, they believe in what we’re doing here, they know what kind of team we can have in 2026, they’re extremely disappointed about what we did in 2025, and they’re extremely hungry about 2026. That doesn’t mean that I’m saying they’re coming back, but I know if they don’t come back it’s not going to be because they’re unhappy or don’t believe in the direction of where we’re headed. That’s for sure.”