Shane Beamer talks advice his father gave throughout Year 1 at South Carolina

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer comes from a football lineage. It’s his turn to carry the torch at the helm of the Gamecocks program, so it’s only natural that his father, the legendary Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer gets on him from time to time.

Shane joined ‘College Sports on SiriusXM‘ on Wednesday to discuss his first year as South Carolina’s head coach, among other topics, including how his father is one of his biggest supporters.

“He’s very supportive,” Beamer said of his father. “I’ll certainly ask him things and say, ‘what do you think about this? What did you think about that?’ But usually after most games … [my mother and father would] ride home with me after the game, or if it was a road game and I talked to him. It was very supportive and you know, win or lose it was, ‘keep working hard, keep coach and get ready for next week.'”

While Beamer’s father was overall supportive of his son, Frank would throw the occasional question and piece of constructive criticism at his son, but that’s just his inner coach characteristic that is irremovable for someone with a legacy like Frank Beamer.

Ironically, Shane’s son is the most critical of the South Carolina head coach. During their Week 2 comeback win over East Carolina, his son, Hunter, asked Beamer why he elected to run the ball on third down on their final possession — a possession that ended with a game-winning field goal for the Gamecocks.

“It was crushing to me,” Beamer said with a laugh. “So I think my dad probably knows my son’s gonna give it to me, but in all honesty, I mean, I think [my father is] very supportive.”

With coaching at a high level running in the Beamer family blood, Shane’s son seems to be next in line with his critical comments on his father’s decision-making.

“I probably wouldn’t mind [my father] being a little bit more critical of me after games like, you know, ‘what were you thinking doing this?’ Snd stuff like that and honestly my eight-year-old son is more critical than my 70-something-year-old dad is,” Beamer said jokingly.

With the additions of major transfers and a decent recruiting class coming in, Beamer looks to build on his 7-6 start to his first year in Columbia that rounded out with a 38-21 routing of rival North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The new-look Gamecocks will kick off their 2022 season Sept. 3 against Georgia State before jumping right into SEC play with consecutive games against Arkansas (away) and Georgia (home), respectively.