Everything Shane Beamer said after Tuesday's practice
With nine practices officially down in 2024 for the South Carolina Gamecocks, head coach Shane Beamer held his weekly press conference on Tuesday.
Below is an edited transcript of all of his remarks from GamecockCentral.com.
Opening statement…
“All right, great to be back again. Just finished off finished practice number nine. I like the progress that we’re making. Today, got into a little bit more situational work, some two-minute offense stuff, coming off a scrimmage that we had last Saturday. And then we’ll practice Thursday and then right into another scrimmage on Saturday as well.
“Before we get going on too much football stuff, obviously huge congratulations to Coach Staley and her team. What a awesome, awesome, awesome event to be a part of. The Final Four, love getting to go up there, Emily, my wife and I did. So great to be able to see so many Gamecocks up there and watch them finish off what they’ve done this season. What a remarkable year to replace what they had to replace. And go undefeated, get every team’s best shot, every single game, and just finish like they did. So happy for them. It’s a great group of young ladies on that team that I’ve enjoyed getting to know. And as I’ve said before, fortunate to have Dawn as a colleague here at Carolina.
“And congratulations to, with our women’s golf team, with Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist last weekend as well. What a great statement they made about our women’s golf program, that both of them made the cut for the Augusta National Women’s Amateur last weekend. And both finished in the top 30, I believe. I know they were right there at the top of the leaderboard going into the final round, but really cool for them. Happy for Kaylen, our coach. And I like to think that all the time that I’ve spent next to Hannah and Louise hitting golf balls down at our practice facility has rubbed off on them. My swing helped them perform like they did last weekend as well. But they’re great young ladies as well. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know them and happy for them, obviously.
“And then best of luck to Coach Kingston and the baseball team. I know they’ll be up in Charlotte tonight, right? And my parents are here at the press conference and they’re headed to Charlotte tonight. We’ll be there for the baseball game also, cheering on the Gamecocks against the Tar Heels up in Charlotte. So I know that I spoke at an event in Gastonia last night and referred to us as Carolina multiple times in the crowd and they’re in North Carolina correcting me. But it’ll be a great battle of the Carolinas tonight up in Charlotte also. So best of luck to Coach and his team.”
[GamecockCentral for $1: In-depth coverage and a great community]
Is there anyone who definitely won’t play in the spring game?
“Yeah, it’s a good question. I don’t want to say a handful, but it’ll be a handful. You know, we’ve got some tguys that didn’t practice today, just with some injuries. JT Geer didn’t practice today. Nick Emmanwori didn’t practice today. Debron Gatling didn’t practice today. Brady Hunt didn’t practice today. Tonka practiced, but was limited. So we’ve got some things like that that some guys are battling through. We meet as a staff at four o’clock. I’ll have a better idea then. Again, none of those are significant and long-term at all. JT’s may be a little bit longer term than those other ones, but there’s nothing serious. He may be back at practice on Thursday. He was seeing a doctor today about an injury that happened on Saturday, but it won’t be anything super long-term. So to answer your question, I’ll have a better idea this afternoon, but hopefully we’ll have as full a group as possible. And then there’s nobody that we’re saying is healthy but we’re going to not play in the spring game. Everybody will play and we want to make it competitive and have a great atmosphere out there next Saturday night.”
Any separation in the quarterback battle?
“Yeah, I don’t know if there was a separation. I thought all the quarterbacks did a great job of protecting the football. There were no turnovers at all in the scrimmage, which is rare in any scrimmage. There was a ball that Judge Collier made a great play and knocked the ball out on a fumble that Mazeo Bennett was hustling and fell on the ball and got the ball back for the offense, but the offense didn’t turn the ball over, which was great. Now, as a head coach, you don’t like it because the defense didn’t create takeaways, but I thought all those guys did some really good things. LaNorris, when he was in there, made a couple of nice throws as well, downfield. I thought Robbie Ashford did a good job of just pocket presence and stepping up in the pocket and making throws. Dante Reno got in there and had really did some good stuff in practice on Thursday after I saw you guys last week and did some stuff in the scrimmage. Davis Beville as well. And then Luke worked some at quarterback.
“To answer your question, not a lot of separation where I can come in here right now and say this guy’s one, this guy’s two, this guy’s three, and away we go. We’re still competing nd those guys continue to make each other better. And today was a big day and Thursday will be a big day. And then Saturday will be our last scrimmage before the spring game, and that’ll be a big day also. But I like the progress that they’re all making and if you ask, okay, who made a jump? I thought Robbie Ashford made some nice throws and did some good stuff. But again, they’re all just kind of continuing to learn everything from a mental standpoint and trying to get the game to slow down for them out there.”
Were the quarterbacks live in the scrimmage, and how did the OL perform?
“The quarterbacks were live. We didn’t do the entire scrimmage live. Wee did a little bit of extra 7-on-7 work. I think true scrimmage work, we got around 60 plays and then some other stuff that was more like 7-on-7 where it was scrimmage, but we weren’t tackling. It was more working on the passing game and stuff. About a third of the scrimmage, the quarterbacks were live. And that was all of them. Kind of what you thought when, one, they got hit, which they needed to, I don’t like them to, but they needed to just to understand they can’t sit back in the pocket all day and not get hit at this level. They’ve got to understand when they have to get rid of the ball and when they’re protected or not. So you don’t like them getting hit. So that goes back to, you know, the guys around them from a protection standpoint, which they got hit a couple of times. So the protection wasn’t good enough. And sometimes y’all heard me say, that’s the back. Sometimes that’s the tight end. Sometimes that’s the receivers not doing what they’re supposed to do. So being able to get that corrected.
“But then there were a couple of situations where guys scrambled out of there and you saw what they could do with their feet. LaNorris had a run where he scrambled and stepped up in the pocket and ran for an explosive run. Robbie had one where he got out on the perimeter and kind of showed what he can do. So I think we’ve got some athletic quarterbacks and they can make plays with their feet. And that’s why we went back and forth on whether or not to make them live. And that’s why we did, thought it would be good for the defense to know that, you know, being able to finish on the guys and tackle. And then for the quarterbacks to understand, you know, the plays they can make with their feet and when they get rid of the ball as well. But it was good for both sides and both sides liked it without a doubt.”
Receivers and tight end impressions…
“Yeah, I think both those groups, tight ends and receivers are doing a good job of kind of complimenting each other. And there may be a day where it’s a little bit more two tight end personnel groupings.. It might be a day where it might be a little bit more one tight end, three receiver personnel groupings and being able to get all those guys in different positions to see what they can do. And, you know, Josh Simon has been solid. Nick Elksnis is solid, Brady Hunt, Connor Cox, Reid Mikeska has been banged up. He got back out and did a little bit in the scrimmage on Saturday, which was good to see him back out there. We need him, Reid to really come along here these next two weeks and take a step. And then from a receiver standpoint, Jared Brown had a really nice catch and run the other day in that scrimmage. If you want to talk about people that stepped up and had great Saturdays, Mazeo Bennett, that receiver had a great Saturday. You noticed him and the moment wasn’t too big for him. And I think all those receivers, we’ve talked about it. We don’t have necessarily a 6-3, 6-4 guy out there running around right now, but what we do have are guys that run good routes, they’re quick, and we’ve got to continue to find ways to get them the ball because they’re good with the ball in their hands. And they’re making progress, and like everybody, this week will be a big week for them.”
[On3 App: Get South Carolina push notifications from GamecockCentral]
Does Shawn Elliott work with the OL at all/what is his role as running game coordinator?
“I’d say works very little with the offensive line. He is the run game coordinator, so there’s a lot that Dowell kids with him, that Shawn will be drawing up run schemes in the dirt, and all of a sudden they’ll show up in practice, and we’ll be doing something in the run game that Dowell didn’t know we were doing, that Shawn just kind of drew up and put in on his own, but he does a great job of continuing to build on the things that we’ve done in the run game, but then bring in some things that he did at Georgia State that he liked, but marrying it with our personnel and what our guys can do. So that’s where that run game coordinator comes in.
“He works obviously closely with everybody on the offense, but we all help one another out there. And, you know, Lonnie (Teasley) may see something that affects the run game with the tight ends, and he may say something to the tight end, and Shawn’s coaching tight ends, and may see something that helps with the offensive line and the tight ends working together. So everybody, we’re all on the same team right there, but Shawn spends the bulk of his time with the tight ends and coaches them in practice, and certainly is there too. You know, it’s been a great relationship, he and Lonnie and he and Dowell working with one another and bouncing ideas off of each other. And certainly I know that 0-line is his passion, but he’s been very passionate about coaching those tight ends also.”
How has Judge Collier progressed/latest with other CB spot?
“Judge I think’s done really well. And I was at the Hall of Fame thing I had to speak at last night in Gastonia. I sat with Coach Strait Herron, who had coached him in high school up in Rock Hill, and we were talking about that. He’s doing a great job out there. Last year, you think about it, he came in as a true freshman, and started a couple games last season. I think the game slowed down for him in a lot of ways. He’s really attacked the weight room. He’s got great length, as we’ve talked about before. Those arms obviously are God-given and a freakish thing that he has, because he has so much length. And now he’s continued to put on weight and get stronger, which is only going to help him hold up physically. So I’ve thought he’s had a really good spring and been very solid, made some nice plays out there the other day.
“He’s competing, he and Emory Floyd and Vicari and then David Spaulding. That’s another one that didn’t practice today, I’m sorry, was David Spaulding, he’s a little banged up, but those guys are all over there battling. And I think they all have their moments and you see them all, they all kind of flash. And Vicari’s got big play ability and Emory obviously has great speed. I’m proud of Emory and his maturity and kind of the steps he’s taken off the field this spring. And obviously David Spaulding is a veteran that’s played a lot of football around here and very smart and a pro. So I like that group. And then, you know, they’re all continuing to push O’Donnell. O’Donnell obviously is the starter on the other side right now, but he knows that he needs to continue to play at a high level to keep that job too.”
How beneficial is spring practice for young OL?
“Yeah, it’s huge. You know, you think about it. We started, I think it was five true freshmen last season. Nyckoles Harbor, not here for spring practice. Tro, not here for spring practice. Tree was not here for spring practice. I think Judge was, but that’s pretty much every freshman you start as a true freshman in this league. They didn’t get to go through spring practice. They just started practice in August, and then a month later, they’re playing in SEC football games in Athens. So it’s huge to be able to go through spring ball. We were talking about it yesterday, or I was with the offensive staff. I mean, you look out there and you got Josiah Thompson and Kam Pringle and Blake Franks, who should still be in high school, taking classes at Woodland High School and Dillon High School and Greenville High School. And instead, they’re here going through spring practice, but not just going through spring practice. They’re going through spring practice, having to block Tonka Hemingway and TJ Sanders and Boogie Huntley and DeAndre Jules, guys that are five years older than them and have played college football at a high level for a while now.
“And obviously the moment’s not too big for them, but they’re going through some growing pains and they’re going to be so much better for it come August because they’re going through that right now and not going through it for the first time in August. So they’re making progress and really proud of those guys. You know, we’ve talked about it in here. It’s just so beneficial that of all the scholarship guys that we signed, everyone’s here right now, except for Matthew Fuller, Jalewis Solomon, and Michael Smith, you know, three guys, and that’s it. Every other freshman’s going through spring ball, which is huge for us, being able to practice the way we want to from an organizational standpoint, but then those guys getting that experience in order to be ready to go this season.”
Running back injuries/have any players moved to the RB position?
“No, no other position right now, maybe in time for sure. I just mentioned wanting to get those receivers involved and getting the ball in their hands. So, you know, like we’ve done in the past, we’ll be creative with how we do that going forward, but no, not really. Braswell was back on Saturday, so DJ was able to scrimmage, which was great for him. Oscar was out there as well. Obviously, Juju didn’t, and Rocket didn’t, but Jawarn was out there. So we were able to get those guys work and didn’t say, okay, we’re not going to do this because we’re banged up at the running back position. We, you know, called runs like we always do, called passes like we always do, and all those guys, you certainly flashed at times.”
On reports that the OL struggled/Jaxon Hughes transferring…
“Yeah, reporting from the scrimmage, I didn’t know the scrimmage was open, so I don’t know who would be reporting from the scrimmage. I think we all had our moments and it’s spring scrimmage number one. And defenses everywhere that I’ve ever coached should be a little bit ahead of offenses, particularly in the springtime. If you don’t, I think it probably doesn’t bode well for your defense. I was part of a lot of scrimmages with my dad at Virginia Tech where I walked off the practice field wondering if the offense was going to be able to score a touchdown the entire season, much less win a football game because the defense was really, really good. And our defense was really, really good the other day. And was the offensive line what we wanted? No, but I’d say as an offense overall, it wasn’t what we wanted and we can certainly be better.
[Newsletters: Get breaking news and analysis from GamecockCentral]
“But also the offense sat in there next door yesterday in their offensive meeting and went through every play from the scrimmage. It’s always on offene, defensively you can have 11 guys flying to the ball and two guys do something wrong and it’s okay. The other nine make up for it and it’s an okay play. Offensively, you can have 10 guys doing everything right. One guy takes the wrong step or runs a route at the wrong depth and a bad play. So everybody on offense, defense, special teams, we can all be better. It wasn’t what we wanted, but I didn’t walk out of there saying, oh my God, we’ve got problems up front. By any stretch of the imagination, they’re going against a pretty good defensive front right now, I think
“And yes, Jaxon decided to transfer. He called me on Sunday, actually, when I was in Cleveland. He called me and we talked when I was at the game, right before tip-off. He was a walk-on here. He came from Charlotte and obviously he’s battled injuries since he’s been here, was still paying his own way. He wasn’t on a scholarship. He’s not healthy right now. And I think he did not think he wanted to just go somewhere and have a chance to get a scholarship going into his last year and not have to worry about paying his own way and get healthy. So that’s what he’s going to look to do. And he was fantastic for us. I mean, that’s a situation where guy came in from Charlotte, got here in the summertime and he’s out, I think started against UNC, if I’m not mistaken. And he got here in June or July and whatnot. So he’s played some good football for us last year, hoping he can get healthy. And hopefully he’ll be able to find a home where somebody will give him a scholarship because he’s a talented offensive tackle and athletic and a great, great, great, great kid and wish him well.”
Any other transfer news/expectations of departures after spring?
“I don’t, hope not. We’ll sit down and obviously talk with guys at the end of the spring, like we always do. And just be honest with them and talk about where they stand and what their role is and whatnot. But I would hope not. Portal opens, what, the 16th, I think, so next week. Portal opens, so certainly worry about that. Again, we work really hard to make this place a place that people want to be a part of and accomplish everything they want on and off the field. And got a lot of good guys right now that believe in what we’re doing and going in the same direction. But we’ll have those meetings starting Monday morning at 7 a.m. after the spring game. And if somebody feels like they have an opportunity to go somewhere else and play more, maybe don’t like their role here, we’ll have those conversations with them and always be honest with them and see what happens.”
On juggling the post-spring portal window…
“Yeah, it’s a challenge. I mean, we still have spring practice going on. Our guys are finishing up exams right after the spring game. You’ve got your own roster to worry about. You’re having individual meetings as well, and want everybody that’s on our roster to come back and continue the work that they’ve put in since January. But you look at what’s out there, and if there’s a situation, the guy fits what we want, what we’re about, and it can make our team better. That’s my job as the head coach, to bring in people that can help us after spring practice, like we did last season with JT Geer, you know, came in after spring practice, and did some really good things for us last year, and will continue to. But it’s tough as a coach, because you truly don’t know, you’re going through spring ball right now, but you truly don’t know who your team is going to be until the middle of May. And I say that, the portal closes on April 30th, but if there’s somebody in the portal that we decide to bring in, then you’re going to bring them in on a visit in May, and then finally, okay, you get to the first, second week of May, you know, all right, this is the 2024 Gamecock football team, and that’s a challenge as well.
“It’s kind of a lot like a NFL team, it’s going through off-season program, OTAs, mini camps, they don’t really know who’s going to be on the New England Patriots until training camp’s over, type thing. And we’re fortunate, we don’t have to wait right before the first game to know that, we wait till the middle of May, but that’s a challenge as a coach, but part of it, and you’re right, we’re all learning and going through it the first time and trying to figure out the best way to maximize the situation for your particular team.”
