Shane Beamer Makes Historic GPA Announcement for Gamecocks After Facing Unfortunate Transfer Portal Reality

Well, many flourish in football, exercising their skills. Some call it God-gifts, others call it sheer hard work. But the ones who manage both their academic responsibilities and their passion for the game deserve more kudos. In that case, South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer is one lucky man. The 2024 season started with a disappointing first half. The Gamecocks got crushed by strong opponents like LSU and Alabama, and suffered a blowout loss to Ole Miss. While Beamer is trying to hold the reins tighter and is losing sleep over a transfer target, his students made him proud off-field…

Beamer made two stops in Georgia and Oklahoma before being named South Carolina’s head coach in 2021. Is he regretting now? Absolutely not. The Gamecock has never qualified for the College Football Playoffs since its inception. Last season, Beamer and his boys gave their heart and soul to making it to the playoffs. But unfortunately, their efforts went in vain as they wrapped up the season with a 9-4 overall record. Beamer was not lucky enough to celebrate their athleticism. But so what? Under his leadership, the Gamecocks program has achieved a historic academic milestone.

On May 8, the South Carolina head coach could not stop himself from flexing about the success. A proud Beamer wrote, “Congrats to our Spring 2025 ⁦@GamecockFB graduates 🎓  1. Highest team GPA last semester in the HISTORY of the program  ✅  2. 85 graduates & counting since our staff arrived in the spring of 2021 ✅  🤙🏻 📚 🏈.” Of course, the players deserve the credit for lifting up the GPA to sky-high levels. Plus, ever since Beamer has signed up for the role, he has witnessed 85 graduates coming up with flying colors when it comes to maintaining the sound balance between academics and athletics. Does the head coach have any role to play in this success? Absolutely yes.

This accomplishment reflects Beamer’s commitment to fostering a culture that values academic excellence alongside athletic performance. He stepped in as the 36th head coach of South Carolina on December 6, 2020. Ever since then, he emphasized the importance of education, ensuring that players develop both on the field and in the classroom. And Beamer got to enjoy the sweet efforts of his and his players’ sincerity. Notably, four of the eight highest GPAs in the history of South Carolina football have been achieved during his tenure. At the same time, Beamer is now in a sticky spot. Thanks to his transfer target.

Shane Beamer’s frustration with the NCAA hits high notes

South Carolina had signed a 4-star running back, Rahsul Faison. The Utah State running back had committed to the winter window of the transfer portal. At that time, things were already hot. Thanks to Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia. A federal judge in Tennessee granted an injunction that will give him another year of eligibility. This came after Pavia challenged the NCAA’s longstanding policy that junior college counts toward the five-year rule to play four seasons. Finally, things turned in Pavia’s favor as the NCAA was barred from having the power to stop him from playing another year.

However, TheBigSpur.com tweeted on May 5, “SUMMERVILLE, S.C. — Shane Beamer is still waiting on an answer from the NCAA on Rahsul Faison.” The head coach even sounded upset during the press conference. “I know they [NCAA] have a lot on their plate, but now we’re in the middle of May and still don’t have an answer, and we just went through a portal window where we didn’t add a running back, but we don’t have an answer on whether we’re going to have [Faison]. That’s tough, when you start planning for 2025.”

This has affected Rahsul Faison, too. Analyst Brad Crawford came up with more details. “Rahsul Faison today has actually hired Darren Heitner, a lawyer at South Florida who specializes in these NCAA-type cases, to represent him, and that is a good move for Faison and the University of South Carolina.” It’s Attorney Heitner, the right man, who has also represented South Carolina’s basketball star, Myles Stute, who got another year after a serious blood clot issue.

Let’s hope, just like Heitner won Slute’s case, he can ensure the same for Faison. And we get to see Shane Beamer beaming with happiness.