Shane Beamer’s sixth season at South Carolina was supposed to bring more stability after an average 2025 season. Instead, the Gamecocks have already suffered a painful SEC loss, and ESPN’s Paul Finebaum believes the pressure on the HC could increase.
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“It was a punishing blow to Beamer, who almost has to find a win somewhere very quickly to keep his fan base from completely going rogue on him,” Finebaum said on The Matt Barrie Show.
Finebaum’s words came after South Carolina had a 16-0 lead over Mississippi State on Saturday, only to watch the Bulldogs completely flip the game after halftime and leave Williams-Brice Stadium with a 41-34 victory. The Gamecocks are now 2-1 and 0-1 in SEC play.
“He [Beamer] has to go to Alabama this weekend,” Finebaum continued. “But he almost has to win that game, because otherwise, with his schedule too, the season could get away.”
That is the part that makes the Mississippi State loss sting: South Carolina wasn’t simply beaten by a better team from the opening whistle. Rather, the Gamecocks lost control.
They went into halftime with a nine-point advantage, but Mississippi State scored on three straight possessions to open the third quarter. Kamario Taylor threw his third touchdown pass of the night to give the Bulldogs their first lead, and the Gamecocks never managed to take it back.
Mississippi State eventually extended the lead to 41-23 before South Carolina tried to make things interesting. Matthew Fuller caught a 25-yard touchdown, but it wasn’t enough.
Finebaum had already questioned Beamer’s position before this season even began. In July, when asked to name the first SEC coach he expected to be fired, Finebaum’s answer was blunt.
“Do I really have to say, Shane Beamer?” he asked.
South Carolina finished 4-8 last season and missed a bowl game. The Gamecocks also had a painful collapse against Texas A&M, turning a 30-3 halftime lead in 2025 into a 31-30 loss. Saturday’s defeat followed a similar pattern: losing after coming this close.
Beamer, though, does not believe Saturday’s result should define his team.
“Certainly, really, really disappointing with us and how we performed overall tonight,” Beamer said in the post-game presser. “This moment won’t define this football team. I know you guys and the articles y’all write and narratives and all that, you’re going to try and define this team based on what just happened tonight, and that’s not the case.”
There is also plenty of money tied to Beamer’s future in Columbia. His current contract pays him $8.25 million in 2026, with his annual salary increasing by $100,000 each year through 2030. If South Carolina fires him before the end of 2026, he would be owed $27.9 million, according to the terms provided.
That makes a coaching change an expensive proposition. But the financial commitment does not change what Finebaum sees coming.
A loss at Alabama would leave South Carolina 2-2 and 0-2 in conference play, with the Mississippi State collapse still fresh in everyone’s mind.
Now Beamer insists this team will be judged by what it does next, but Finebaum’s warning suggests the next opportunity may carry more weight. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. Alabama Crimson Tide game is scheduled for next Saturday, September 26.