USC working on new contract for head coach Shane Beamer
University of South Carolina officials are actively working on a new contract for Gamecock football head coach Shane Beamer, GamecockCentral.com has learned.
Beamer’s initial contract at South Carolina, approved in December 2020, was a five-year agreement worth $2.75 million per year. The new contract is expected to include a raise and an extension for the Charleston, South Carolina native, although terms are not yet close to finalization.
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The second-year coach concluded the 2022 regular season with a pair of victories over top 10 opponents. Up first was a 63-31 trouncing at home against the Tennessee Volunteers, and Beamer’s program followed that with a 31-30 rivalry win over Clemson on Saturday.
In his first season, Beamer led the Gamecocks to seven wins, including a victory over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. The team has already eclipsed that mark in 2022, with the victory over the Tigers sealing at least eight wins prior to a bowl appearance.
Two of Beamer’s SEC East counterparts recently earned new contracts. Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz signed an extension in November that increased his 2023 pay to $6 million, up from $4 million in 2022.
Kentucky’s Mark Stoops also inked a new agreement earlier this month that will pay him $8.6 million annually through the year 2031.
Salaries for head coaches around the conference have been on the rise for some time, with Alabama’s Nick Saban and Georgia’s Kirby Smart having already eclipsed the $10 million per year mark in 2022.
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Here is a look at how yearly salaries stack up among SEC head coaches (figures are for 2022 season):
Nick Saban, Alabama: $10.7 million
Kirby Smart, Georgia: $10.2 million
Jimbo Fisher, Texas A&M: $9 million
Brian Kelly, LSU: $9 million
Lane Kiffin, Ole Miss: $7.25 million
Billy Napier, Florida: $7.1 million
Mark Stoops, Kentucky: $6.3 million (new extension will have him making $8.6 million in 2023)
Sam Pittman: $6 million
Mike Leach, Mississippi State: $5.5 million
Josh Heupel, Tennessee: $5 million
Eli Drinkwitz, Missouri: $4 million (new extension will have him making $6 million in 2023)
Shane Beamer, South Carolina: $2.75 million
Clark Lea, Vanderbilt: Unknown (Vanderbilt is a private institution)
Auburn: Open (former coach Bryan Harsin’s contract was $5.1 million in 2022)
Beamer’s new salary is ultimately expected to land in a range that’s more in line with the market value of coaches around the SEC and Power 5, according to sources.
“This is where I want to be,” the 45-year old said last year. “When I said this was my dream job, I wasn’t just saying that to make it sound cool in a press conference or to get the job. This is where my wife and I and my family want to be. This is home for me. I want to be the head football coach here at South Carolina.”
