Shane Beamer reveals what South Carolina must improve on in 2022

A 7-5 rookie season has laid the foundation for South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer to put together one of the best offseason resumes in the SEC. But that was just a taste of the grandiose long term plans Beamer has likely schemed up.

But how much can this team improve following a Duke’s Mayo Bowl victory over North Carolina and a subsequent mayo bath for the first year headman? Instead of being coated in mayonnaise, he’d rather have confetti falling from the rafters. But first, he’s going to have to make some changes.

“We do have to handle success better. We talked about it in a team meeting this morning that we started out 2-0, then we went 2-2, and then from that point on, we never won more than two in a row, and we never lost more than two in a row,” Beamer said. “… You competed and you came right back the next week and won the football game. There’s great things to learn from that but also being able to handle that success when you have a great win over whoever it may be — Florida, being able to handle that success and perform better the following week.”

Coming into year two, Beamer and his club have plans to keep improving and be a consistent contender in the SEC – and South Carolina is putting in the work in spring practices to prepare themselves to accomplish just that. With the additions of multiple high-level transfers and incoming freshman to the roster, the newness of the matter has changed the national perception of South Carolina from a mid-level SEC team, to the dark horse of the entire conference.

Now that preseason expectations through the roof in the toughest conference in football, Beamer is going to take the spring slow, shove the pressure to the side and just focus on the basics. At this point, Beamer doesn’t think his team is anywhere near his end goal.

“To me, you realize all the work that went into winning seven games and realizing it’s gonna take that much and then more to take the next step,” Beamer said. “… I think it’s just day to day right now. I know everybody talks about ‘the process’ and only worry about today, but it’s true, like how good a day can we have today? Just keep stacking good days.”

Looking to improve on his seven wins last season, South Carolina is scheduled to kickoff its 2022 slate on Saturday, Sept. 3 against Georgia State in Columbia. Following their opener, the Gamecocks will jump right into SEC play with a road trip to Arkansas on Sept. 10.