Shane Beamer reveals who will call plays for South Carolina after firing Mike Shula

Three days after firing offensive coordinator Mike Shula, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer announced receivers coach and passing game coordinator Mike Furrey will serve as the Gamecocks’ primary play caller on gameday over the team’s final three games of the season. Beamer also made it clear South Carolina’s offensive gameplan each week will be a group effort.

“I wouldn’t say we have an OC for the rest of the season. We have a really talented offensive staff that each and every week as we always do, the offensive staff will work together – which is what they’ve been doing – to put together the gameplan, and then on gameday the primary play caller will be Mike Furrey,” Beamer said Wednesday during his weekly appearance on the SEC Coaches Teleconference. “But, like I said, the plan and what we’re calling, that’s put together during the week. He will just be the main guy that’s talking to the quarterback and communicating the play to him on gameday.”

Shane Beamer credits Mike Furrey’s prior experience as head coach, play caller for promotion

Beamer cited Furrey’s prior coaching experience as a head coach and play caller in two stints at Limestone University (2016-17 and 2022-23) for the decision to name him primary play caller on Saturdays. The 48-year-old Furrey is in his second season as the Gamecocks’ receivers coach. Furrey, who played college ball at Ohio State and Northern Iowa, also played eight seasons in the NFL (2003-10) with the then-St. Louis Rams, Detroit Lions, Cleveland Browns and then-Washington Redskins.

“Experience. High energy. He’s got a great confidence about himself, and certainly the offense feels his energy. And the other thing is certainly his experience that he has,” Beamer said of Furrey. “He’s played in the NFL, he’s coached in the NFL, he has been a head coach in college, he has called plays in college. And that’s the main thing, just the understanding of our offense, understanding of our run and pass game. Along with our other coaches, nothing against them at all, just Mike’s the guy that has called plays in a game previously.”

Beamer fired Shula on Sunday after just nine games in his first season as offensive coordinator due to the Gamecocks’ inept offense. Under Shula’s direction, South Carolina produced the SEC’s worst offense this season, averaging just 294.1 yards of total offense and 19.7 points per game through the first 10 weeks of the regular season. Shula was promoted to OC and quarterbacks coach this season after previously serving as an offensive analyst last year. Shula infamously served as Alabama‘s head football coach between 2003-06 prior to Nick Saban‘s arrival in 2007.