Shane Beamer is aggressively reshaping his 2026 class after a dreadful 4-8 season. Amid major chaos, they added 17 players from the portal, bringing key depth to the Gamecocks. With portal moves, Beamer is also taking in recruits with the potential to make an immediate impact. His latest move? He added Buford’s long snapper to their team.

South Carolina proudly announced the addition of a talented new member to their 2026 recruiting class: All-American long snapper Matthew Oh. His commitment came soon after he visited Columbia, adding valuable depth to their already impressive top-20 class with 16 signees. During his visit, Shane Beamer made a strong impression on him and helped outline an exciting future path.

“This past weekend’s OV was unforgettable,” Oh said to GamecockCentral. “The staff left the biggest impression—Coach (Shane) Beamer has built an elite team of coaches and resources fully committed to player development. It’s clear everyone is laser-focused on the 2026 mission, and I’m fired up to join this family.”

That family feels pushed Oh over teams like Duke, SMU, Middle Tennessee, and Samford. His skills can immediately impact South Carolina’s special teams. At Kohl’s National Scholarship Camp, he snapped quickly, straight, and accurately, with an average of 0.67 seconds. Out of 19 scoring snaps, 16 hit the target, demonstrating his accuracy.

Matthew Oh comes in with the status of No. 3 long snapper nationally in the 2026 class. Now, special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis will develop his game and establish himself as a clear leader, leveraging his extensive NFL experience. This is especially true since he was a key factor in Oh joining the team.

Now, his commitment backs the team situation after a shaky 2025 season. Even though their special teams remained strong throughout the season, they showed inconsistency against top opponents. During their game against Ole Miss in the third quarter, the Gamecocks had momentum, but the Rebels took the lead when, on a punt by Oscar Bird, South Carolina’s Jalon Kilgore dropped the ball.

That’s when things turned for them as Ole Miss safety Andy Jaffe recovered it, pushing it close to the end zone, and just three plays later, Lucas Carneiro kicked a 27-yard field goal, which gave Ole Miss a lead of 20–14. Even Shane Beamer wasn’t happy with the silly mistake.

“Yeah, disappointing. We made some mistakes on special teams,” Beamer said. “But that has not been like us. Give them credit; they made some plays there, and we have been really good at covering kicks. Not really sure what happened on that one. We let that ball get outside, but they made some plays and have good players. We have been a lot better than that on special teams. Need to be better.”

However, Shane Beamer didn’t stop there, as he made a surprising transfer portal move earlier.

Shane Beamer’s major special teams overhaul

Shane Beamer didn’t stop at Matthew Oh; he also signed Western Carolina’s long snapper, Emmet Rhoades, from the portal, adding more depth to the special teams. This is the first time Beamer has added a long snapper through the portal. Now, Rhoades becomes another key player for special teams coordinator Joe DeCamillis, who’s all set to upgrade the unit.

With a 5’10”, 225-pound frame, this Chicago native started his college career at Florida A&M in 2023 but didn’t start in a single game. Later, he transferred to Akron, where he saw action in just one game. With limited time, he again moved to Western Carolina, where he took over the primary long snapper position, starting in 12 games.

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Now, Rhoades will compete with redshirt sophomore Gunnar Yocum and redshirt freshman Kyler Farrow during offseason workouts and fall camp for the starting role. With two years of eligibility left, this is his chance to show his real caliber.

Shane Beamer and his team are hoping for a major turnaround in the special teams position. They also added Texas Tech’s transfer kicker, Upton Bellenfant, to the team. Let’s wait and see how these additions help them in the 2026 season.