SEC Network's Cole Cubelic on South Carolina: Shane Beamer 'does more with less' than anybody else
At SEC Media Days last week, college football analyst Cole Cubelic sat down with Mike Bratton and “Cousin Shane” of That SEC Podcast to break down the SEC ahead of the 2025 season. Much to the delight of Gamecock fans, he had some major praise for South Carolina.
Keep up with all things Gamecocks for just $1 for 7 days—lock in this special offer today!
When asked for a hot take about the league, Cubelic argued that the USC defense will be better than many expect following the departures of five NFL Draft picks and multiple other contributors from last year’s unit. Said Cubelic, “I think they will have a top seven defense in the league this year. One, I think (defensive coordinator) Clayton White is that good…I know what they lost, and it’s a lot. But they have multiple D-linemen back who have been in that system. They have multiple DBs back who have been in that system.”
Cubelic didn’t just hype up White, though. The SEC Network personality believes in head coach Shane Beamer’s ability to fill gaps via the transfer portal. Referencing the brilliance of portal additions like Kyle Kennard, Demetrius Knight, and Josh Simon, he said, “Shane has done more with less through the portal than any coach in this league.”
Cubelic’s “more with less” comment wasn’t a jab at the players who became stars with the Gamecocks. Instead, it was a compliment to Beamer and the Gamecock staff’s ability to find really good under-the-radar transfer portal players. “Who was talking about Kyle Kennard this time last year? Nobody. Joshua Simon…Mario Anderson at running back a couple of years ago…Nick Gargiulo, they went to the Ivy League and got him…Demetrius Knight, linebacker who just got drafted from Charlotte,” he listed.
Cubelic added, “There’s going to be two or three guys for South Carolina that are transferring in that none of us are talking about, and at the end of the year, we’re going to be like, ‘That guy’s a [good] football player.’ He does it every year. I don’t know how he does it, I don’t know where he gets them. I don’t know how he scouts them different from everybody else. But it just works.”
Top 10
- 1New
Top 25 College QBs
Ranking best '25 signal callers
- 2
Top 25 Defensive Lines
Ranking the best for 2025
- 3
Big Ten Football
Predicting 1st loss for each team
- 4Hot
College Football Playoff
Ranking Top 32 teams for 2025
- 5Trending
Tim Brando
Ranks Top 15 CFB teams for 2025
Get the Daily On3 Newsletter in your inbox every morning
By clicking "Subscribe to Newsletter", I agree to On3's Privacy Notice, Terms, and use of my personal information described therein.
Get USC Gamecocks app notifications
This offseason, South Carolina signed 18 transfer portal players. 13 signed in the winter and five joined the program during the spring or summer. Beamer and company landed many different types of transfers, and all of them have a chance to contribute for the Gamecocks.
Some were high-profile additions, such as running back Rahsul Faison and defensive back Brandon Cisse. Young quarterback Air Noland and linebacker Justin Okoronkwo haven’t played much but have elite potential. Others, like defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy and linebacker Shawn Murphy, were former highly-rated prospects who needed a change of scenery. Offensive lineman Boaz Stanley, defensive back Myles Norwood, and defensive lineman Troy Pikes were big-time players at lower levels. Still others like tight end Jordan Dingle, running back Isaiah Augustave, defensive lineman Davonte Miles, and EDGEs Demon Clowney and George Wilson are veteran players who add depth and experience.
If Cubelic’s prediction and Beamer’s track record hold true, a handful of those names could have breakout years in Columbia. Fall camp begins at the end of next week, and South Carolina will kick off the regular season on August 31st against Virginia Tech.
