Everything Shane Beamer said following South Carolina's sixth spring practice

Following South Carolina’s sixth spring football practice on Tuesday, head coach Shane Beamer met with the media to discuss how things have been going for the team. Here’s everything he had to say.

Opening statement

“Just finished up practice six today, off to a good start without a doubt. … Had a good week last week, a lot of situational work. Got into third-down situations last week. Today, we introduced short-yardage goal line. Tomorrow, Thursday, we’ll get into some red zone work, and then Saturday, we’ll have our first scrimmage of the spring over in the stadium as well. All that leading up to the spring game here in a couple of weeks as well. But love the way the group’s working. Love the other mentality that they’ve had since January. They’re a fun group to be around, and got a lot of work to do. As you guys can imagine, a lot of young faces out there are going through spring practice for the very first time, but we have no complaints about the work ethic and the progress that we’re making. Just trying to continue to stack days and get better and better.”

What is the timeline for Vicari Swain to get back in good standing academically and with the team as well?

“Yeah, he’s in great standing with the team right now. He’s taking care of some academic responsibilities. Expect him back sooner than later, and nothing that will deter him from being able to play this season.”

Is there any specific player that you’ve seen show vast improvement so far?

“I wouldn’t say vast improvement. I could go through every position and talk about guys that you hope everyone’s improving throughout the spring, to be able to name one, not necessarily. But I’m pleased with the progress that all of our guys are making, whether it be returning players that have played a lot of football for us that are returning starters. Seeing them make improvements and steps in their game to take their game to the next level. You’re seeing signs of that. Transfers that came in had to understand the first couple of practices how we practice around here, because, as a lot of them have told me, it’s different than where they came from. So those guys, getting acclimated to that and getting better — the transfers. And then the freshmen that just got here, they go out to the first or second practice, and their minds are blown, just because there’s so much going on. The speed, the intensity, the physicality, the mental stuff that’s coming at you, trying to learn offense, defense and special team schemes. But seeing those guys have everything slow down for them, so everyone about that as well.

“But no, I’m pleased with progress as a group. We’ve got a long way to go, but you see flashes of guys each and every day. And we talked about it in our team meeting this morning. From an X’s and O’s standpoint, it should start to slow down for them a little bit now, because the first week of practice, you’re installing your first and second down like base stuff, and that’s a lot. And then last week, you get into all your third-down packages, and that’s a lot on offense and defense. And then this week, we’re getting to some red zone stuff with certain calls defensively and offensively that we would only call down in the red zone as you get closer to the goal line. But after you kind of get through this week, there’s not much more. So it should start to slow down and see guys make even bigger jumps from an improvement standpoint.”

What were the conversations like with the families of Jordan Gidron and Donovan Murph to get those guys to reclassify, and what is it about them that makes you feel comfortable to have them come in a year early and contribute?

“There was zero from us trying to get them to do anything, that’s 100 percent the truth. They approached us about it. And probably midway through the season, I think Murph was around the Ole Miss game, I think he told you that, or somebody on the day he signed. But right around the same time, I think they saw what we were doing on the field, and we’re ready to be a part of it. And the conversations were them coming to us to see if this is something that they could do, and if we would be open to them doing it. Our answer was, ‘Absolutely. We would love for you to.’ But there’s no pressure, like I want you to enjoy being in high school and get to enjoy your senior year and things like that as well. But they were adamant, this is what they wanted to do. They were very close with the people in this recruiting class. They were very close with the people on our team already, and they were eager to get here. That’s a tough thing to do.

“So I wouldn’t be maybe as open to it with others as I was with them, and it’s because of their maturity. Those two young guys, Jordan and Donovan, they’re extremely mature, and they’ve got great families as well. They’ve got a great upbringing, direction at home. Very mature kids. For Jordan to be, you know, got to remind yourself that he’s a junior in high school still going through spring practice with an SEC football team. But he’s got all A’s right now in school. He hasn’t had a single B on any — we get progress reports from our players every week. He hasn’t had a B the entire semester. Got all A’s, and everything that he’s doing hasn’t been on a list, meaning late for something in this building or doing something wrong. He’s been fantastic because he’s a mature kid, and he’s very driven and has a great family.

“Murph is the same way, awesome family, very driven. If you go to his high school, you could sit there and talk to him. He’s a young guy, but he’s like a wise old soul. You can talk to him like he’s a 30-year-old man. And I can’t remember if I told you guys this, but even the day that he announced at the all-star Game in January, I believe is what it was, that he was coming to South Carolina. I wasn’t in a good place because that was about two days after the bowl game, and I was still not in a good place. And I’ll never forget, after the bowl game, my family and I went out of town, and we were sitting on a beach for about two days before I came back, and my phone rang on. I think it was a Saturday morning, Sunday morning, whatever day the All-Star Game was, whatever day it was. Called me that morning, it was Murph. Immediately, when a guy calls, he’s already signed, but when he calls me the morning of the all-star game, you’re worried. And he was just calling to thank me for the opportunity to come play football at South Carolina, which I told him on the phone that day, I’m like, you know what? Not many guys would do that, the fact that you’re getting ready to go on national television, playing an all-star game, and you took the time to just call and thank me for this opportunity. One, it cheers me up, because I’m in a pretty crappy mood right now, but two, gives me great hope for this freshman class and the future of our program as well, because we got great young men in our program, and those two guys are right at the top.”

Injury update…

“Right now, everybody’s out there pretty much going at it that wasn’t at the beginning, except Michael Smith is not back out. Ryan Brubaker is not back out and Caleb Williams is not back out and won’t be in through the end of spring. I think that’s it right now. Everybody else is practicing, and then the only two new additions, unfortunately, are Nick Sharpe on the offensive line and Jaylen Brown on the defensive line. Disappointing because that’s two positions that we really need to stay healthy at. But both of those two guys suffered injuries last week, and they’ll miss the rest of spring unfortunately.”

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What is going on behind LaNorris Sellers at quarterback?

“Great competition is what’s going on behind LaNorris at quarterback. Dante Reno obviously has been here. It’s his second year in the program. Cutter Woods just got here. Air Noland just got here. Jimmy Francis, it’s his second year in the program. So we’re very young at that position, obviously, including LaNorris, and it’s only his third year in the program. So we don’t have a number two quarterback right now. Think a lot of you guys are eager to anoint certain people as the backup. And we’re all about competition here as well. So there’s great competition. Coach (Mike) Shula is doing a great job of mixing up the reps of who gets work with that group. And sometimes it’s Cutter, sometimes it’s Air, sometimes it’s Dante. And they’ve all flashed. I think they’ve all shown great improvement since the beginning of spring practice. And there’s no question Dante’s improved since last year. There’s no question that Air is getting more and more comfortable. We did a little drive out there today where we didn’t script anything. We just put the ball down and just basically play football, like a game, and Air led his series. I mean, he led the offense on a, I was hoping it was going to be about a four or five, six play drive, but it ended up being a 19-play drive that he took the team down the field. But I’m really excited about Cutter Woods. You guys who have followed him in high school know that he’s a winner. This is what he did in high school, and comes from a great program up there at Westside with Coach (Brian) Lane. So I really like the group. We’re very young, but there’s really good competition going on behind LaNorris right now, for sure.”

Kind of sticking with that quarterback position. Luke Doty has been wearing the green jersey…

“Luke, too. I’m sorry, Luke’s working at quarterback. Also, I’m an idiot. I didn’t mean to interrupt you, yes. And then Luke is in there also. So Luke’s a guy that you talk about, just can do a lot. Luke is still wearing the green jersey, playing some quarterback. Luke’s going through special teams. Luke knows what to do at receiver. So, throw Luke in that quarterback equation as well. Sorry, Luke.”

Continuing the previous question: Is it just the experience factor with Doty being in the room of having that experience playing the position?

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, year one, back in 2021, my first year as a head coach, you guys that were here, I mean, Luke was our starting quarterback going into the season and coming out of spring practice. So he’s got that experience. It’s a great resource to have in that room for those other quarterbacks, LaNorris included, because he has played. You feel confident with him being in the game, and he’s just such a good football player and good athlete. When we went back and we did all of our testing at the end of the winter, and we just did our own version of the NFL Combine. And when we did all that testing, if you took Luke’s numbers and you put them strictly in the wide receiver room, he’d be pretty much top three in every testing measurable at the receiver position, speed, vertical jump, agility, all that as well. So we talked about it as a staff that, look, like this guy can help us, and we need to find a way where he can help us, and put him in that position. So he’s doing a little bit of everything. So don’t be shocked if you see him at quarterback this upcoming season, receiver, or playing special teams. He just makes our team better on and off the field.”

How is that transition from JUCO to South Carolina going for Zavion Hardy?

“Yeah, helps a lot. It’s a big jump. There’s no question about it, going from high school to junior college. He was part of the great junior college program out in Mississippi, so he’s used to winning. But, you know, getting here and understanding how we do things in the weight room, academically, on the practice field, even though you are an older guy and you’re not fresh out of high school, it’s still new in so many ways. But I feel like the adjustment has gone well. He was a little banged up from a health standpoint initially, but he’s passed that and is doing everything full speed. Travian (Robertson) is doing a great job of coaching hard and being demanding. We need him to come on. It’s like I’ve talked to all those defensive linemen. Boogie (Huntley), Tonka (Hemingway) T.J. (Sanders), I love seeing them out on the practice field today when they were out watching us, but they ain’t coming back. And DeAndre Jules, he’s gone. So there’s your top four defensive tackles. So, who is going to step up? And we’re still trying to figure that out. Zavion has an opportunity to, along with those other guys. But we’re eager to see who takes the next step in that room. It’s wide open right now.”

We’ve got six days until the possible signing of the house settlement. I’m curious, over the last couple months, what conversations have you had with other SEC coaches and Jeremiah Donati in making sure that you guys are all prepared and have your ducks in a row when that possibly goes into effect in July?

“Yeah, other SEC coaches, none really other than when we went to New Orleans. And that was February, we went to New Orleans, and we met with the athletic directors for two days. That was the bulk of our trip to New Orleans was those discussions. But there’s just so much uncertainty, too. There was then, and there still is now, as well. Conversations with Jeremiah and Jeff Crane a lot, just in regard to, and I’m no different than any other coach here at South Carolina. Talk to Kalen (Anderson), our women’s golf coach, about it, and I’ve talked to different coaches about it. Jeremiah has done a great job with all the head coaches in the departments of, you know, being transparent with him the best he can. And then he and I have certainly had a lot of conversations, because we know what’s coming on April 7. We know what the possibilities are, but even what happens on April 7, there’s still some uncertainty about what happens then, too. So you’re kind of like Plan A, if this is if this happens, there’s Plan B, if this happens, there’s Plan C, if this happens but this doesn’t happen with it, there’s Plan D, if this happens and this does happen with it, and that’s a challenge as you’re sitting here. Lamont (Paris) and Dawn (Staley) are dealing with it right now. I guess their portal is open. Our portal opens, what April 16, I think, is when the next transfer portal is for us. So Jeremiah has been great. My conversations with him, just being able to, get to tell me as much as he can tell me, and give us as much clarity. But we’re all trying to figure out exactly what this thing is going to look like.”

What have those conversations looked like in getting LaNorris Sellers’ passing on par, and what has that looked like so far this spring?

“I feel good. It’s a little bit different in practice because we’re not going to let him run every time in practice. I mean, usually I’m going to blow the whistle and things like that as well and not get tackled. I mean, we made him live before, but we’re not doing that right now in practice. So there are times where, certainly, he takes off running, and the defense is screaming that they tackled him, and then they made a sack. And I just kind of look at them and I’m like, ‘Come on, fellas. Like, really? We’re still doing this with LaNorris? You didn’t make that tackle.’ But so I’m fine there. He’s got a good feel on when to run and when not to run.

“As far as a passer, I think he’s done a good job and continues to improve. He made a lot of big-time throws last season for us, and I’ve seen him make throws this spring. And you think about it, like he’s doing it with a lot of new receivers and new tight ends. Jared Brown’s back. Nyck Harbor, Mazeo (Bennett), but after that, it’s a ton of new faces at the receiver position. Tight end-wise, Brady’s (Hunt) back and Mo Brown’s back. But Jordan Dingle is new, there’s just a lot of new faces out there, and they’re trying to get timing down and things like that as well. So I’ve seen him certainly grow as a passer and will continue to. He’s a great playmaker, for sure. And I think what Coach Shula was alluding to, too, is just understanding what’s going on, making sure your drop and your footwork are exact, and the ball is coming out on time. And then if there’s an opportunity to run after you’ve done all that the right way, then more power to you. We’re not against LaNorris running to any stretch of imagination, but there are times, certainly, where we want him to take throws that are there before we run.”

With the spring game not being televised, is that something that coaches all across the SEC chose to do, or is it just an individual decision or a decision y’all made independently?

“I would say it’s independent. But from what I can tell, I think most of us are on the same page. The best I understand it is we had an opportunity to either televise the spring game, and I don’t know if it would have been live. I don’t know if it would have been replayed at 2 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon. I don’t know. Or (we can) put together, it was either a 30-minute or 60-minute show to basically document your football program on SEC Network. I chose the show because I just felt like, from a recruiting standpoint, if I’m a high school recruit, yeah, I love what we do in the spring game, and I love the competition and the energy and the fans that people get to see the players on television. But we’ll have so many players that will be here in person for the spring game, I felt like it would be more beneficial for us, from a recruiting standpoint, to be able to put together a show that can highlight our program. If all of you guys are recruits for us, we can let you know when this show is coming on, and you can watch this and learn a lot about our football program, and probably be more impactful from a recruiting standpoint than watching a two-hour spring game on television.

“I certainly am sensitive to the people that want it on television, that aren’t able to get here to see it in person, and I certainly respect that. I’m sorry that it won’t be on television for those people that enjoy watching it on television. Hopefully, you can get here in person to see it. I know not everyone can. But then there’s also the competitive aspect of it as well. And frankly, if I think I read that of the 16 SEC teams, two of them are maybe doing a televised spring game. I believe, I think I saw that (Texas) A&M was and somebody else, if I’m not mistaken. But from a competitive standpoint, if there’s a spring game on television, we tape it and we watch it, and that’s how we can watch personnel. We could watch their spring game and just kind of get an idea about personnel and who’s lined up where, and things like that as well.

“So it’s not very smart, from my standpoint, that if nobody else is going to be on television, why would I put ours on television for our opponents to study what we’re doing schematically, which is going to be vanilla for everybody in the country in the spring game. Nobody’s going to go out there and show all the new stuff that they’re doing in the spring games. You can still get a feel for new players. And it’s different more than ever now, because of the transfer portal. Last year was a nightmare for us getting ready for Old Dominion, because their spring game wasn’t on television. Their whole roster was like new. You really have no idea who’s lined up where, who’s doing what, in addition to other schematic changes that they might have made in the offseason. So we’re doing a show. Yeah, I could have said that quicker to save you two minutes, but that’s why.”

Deion Sanders was almost able to sneak in that game against Syracuse. The NCAA said no. But that coming as close as it did, does it give you some hope that this could be something that will be worked on?

“Yeah, definitely sounded like it was close. It was going to happen. Y’all know me. You were covering us when I was an assistant coach here, back in 2007-10, and I was talking about it then and still am. I would love it. And I think a lot of the coaches in this league were in the same boat, that they would not be against doing it, and certainly be in favor of it. The thing that was tough this time is that the NCAA just let Syracuse and Colorado do it, and not anybody else on such short notice. I mean, a lot of teams, I think, have already finished spring ball. We have some coaches from Furman who were here today, they were already finished with spring practice. So for teams that didn’t get that opportunity, because they’re already done with spring ball, it would be a little bit of a competitive disadvantage for them. But it gives me hope. We’ll see what happens. And certainly, I’d be all for it, whether it be springtime or especially in the preseason.”

One more question on the spring game. How much do you try to treat it like a traditional scrimmage or game, as opposed to it’s just like another practice for you guys?

“We try and make it as much like a game as possible and not another practice. Now, we haven’t gotten into the specifics of this year as far as the structure of it, but as long as we have healthy bodies and can, we’ve been able to stay fairly healthy. As long as we have healthy bodies, I want to have two teams and play as much like a game as we possibly can. Now, are you going to see LaNorris Sellers in the fourth quarter? Probably not. But would he be in the spring game and playing some? Yeah, and it just goes back to, we don’t get any kind of opportunity against another team. So we want to treat it as much like a game as we possibly can, because the next time that we’re playing in front of a big crowd is going to be in Atlanta against Virginia Tech. We want to make it as much game-like as we possibly can.”

What’s been your assessment of the special teams battle with kicker, punter and longsnapper?

“They’ve all flashed and had their moments. We’ve got four snappers that are out there competing right now, and they’ve all flashed and had their moments. So that’s where it starts. We can sit here and talk about the kicker and the punter all day. If we can’t get the snap back there accurately, it’s probably not going to matter who’s back there. So we’ve got to step up there and be better. There’s no question about it. And then, from a kicking and punting and holding standpoint, I’ve been pleased. I think those guys have all been consistent. Mason Love’s doing a really nice job punting the ball right now. And all those guys certainly have had their moments and have given us confidence as well. And it’ll be key for those guys to get in the stadium and be a part of some scrimmages. But going back to what Jack said, like we need to kick the crap out of the ball in the spring game to put those guys in some pressure situations where they got to make some kicks and punts in the stadium in front of the crowd.”

How has the running back competition been for guys trying to fill in Rocket Sanders’ spot?

“Yeah, that’s another good one where there’s a lot of competition going on. Today, we short yardage goal line. So we did some live full speed, tackle to the ground, put the ball down on the two-yard line. Coach Shula, don’t throw it. Let’s run the ball five times, and let’s see who can win, offense or defense. And we did the same thing with some short yardage situations, where we said it’s fourth and one on the whatever you are line, you’ve got to get it. Don’t throw it, run it. So those guys have all done a good job.

“You’re going to need more than one, you’re going to need more than two, you need more than three. And those guys have all they’ve got a good skill set. I like that group a lot. I really do. Obviously, Rahsul (Faison) coming in has done a good job. Oscar (Adaway III) has improved going back to last year. (Matthew) Fuller and (Jawarn) Howell are really good young players that are going to be really, really good players for us here at Carolina and helping us on special teams, because they both run really, really well as well. And then Bradley Dunn is an older guy who’s been around our program for a while and knows what to do. And then all those young guys behind them as well. So there’s a lot of guys that are competing, and they’re all trying to find a role on offense and special teams right now.”

Sterling Lucas was in here yesterday talking about Bryan Thomas Jr. and Dylan Stewart as the two guys giving the most effort in terms of points. What does that mean to have two of your top guys in that position who were playing with that type of effort?

“Yeah, certainly we talked about the standard that we want to play with around here, and the way that we expect our guys to play with effort all the time. And I told BT that yesterday. I’ll continue to notice him. He continues to just flash and just make plays and do his job, and excited to see the way that he’s improved. Dylan, same thing. But when your top players, your older guys, are the guys that are setting the standard, leading the way, that’s when you’ve got a chance. And then we did a special-teams drill today. It was just a one-on-one, kickoff versus kickoff return, and Dylan’s in that, along with Bryan Thomas and all of our guys. Everybody’s getting reps on special teams right now. And I heard Joe (DeCamillis) yelling at Dylan in a good way, because he made a great play on kickoff return, just a one-on-one rep. And then Jeremiah may fire me after I say this. But then LaNorris came over because we were getting ready to go from that to the goal line period, and LaNorris wanted to jump into the drill. And he got in on kickoff return and did a rep and won the rep. So when your quarterback is taking special teams reps on his own and you’re starting defensive ends are giving the effort that they are, those young guys can’t help but see that and say, that’s the way to do it without a doubt.”

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