South Carolina’s loss against Missouri left Shane Beamer with something to think about. His team’s performance left HC with more questions than answers. But before he could answer those, Beamer found himself pinned in a Twitter drama. With everything that happened in the past week, getting called out on social media for a joke by a CFB show host must have been the last thing he expected.

The drama originated from a tweet from Wil Gunter, the co-host of The Halftime Show on 107.5. Gunter posted consecutive tweets in which he called out Shane Beamer and LaNorris Sellers. In his first tweet, Gunter noted a lack of leadership within the team. “I talked yesterday about vocal leadership and what I believe is the lack of that style of leadership w/the Gamecocks this season. Listening to Coach Beamer today, I definitely think there is a lack of vocal leadership this season,” tweeted Gunter.

Wil Gunter continued his series of tweets with another one, this time poking at Sellers. He pointed out a moment between a quarterback and the head coach during their leadership meeting. “Asking LaNorris Sellers if he had something to say in a leadership meeting and Sellers responding by asking which helmets they are wearing this week … is an interesting comeback.” said the tweet.

This was in response to what Shane Beamer told the press about Sellers. The head coach hinted that his QB1 is not a vocal leader like some other QBs. In a way, he is similar to Jalen Hurts. Gunter’s interpretation of his remarks did not sit well with Beamer, who believed that Gunter was nitpicking on the matter.

In a reply, Beamer stated that LaNorris Sellers was joking at the moment, urging Gunter to “not make a story out of nothing.” He explained that the duo was in the meeting for quite some time before he asked Sellers that question. He also pointed out that Sellers asking about the helmets was normal, as they “always discuss uniforms” in the leadership meetings. Tweeting about a lack of leadership might carry some weight, considering South Carolina’s form this season. But is a joke really a factor in deciding it? 

What can Shane Beamer and Sellers do to turn their season around?

South Carolina’s form this season isn’t quite what fans expected it to be. They started strong, with dominant performances against Virginia Tech and SC State. But it went downhill quickly for Shane Beamer’s side after week 2. Losses against Vanderbilt and Missouri have derailed Carolina’s chances of making the playoffs. However, one positive sign is LaNorris Sellers, who continues to impress week in, week out.

Despite getting injured against Vanderbilt in week 3, Sellers came back against Missouri and put on a display. Sellers finished the game with 302 passing yards, completed 18-of-28 passes, and had two touchdowns. It is not far-fetched to say he was the primary reason why the game was close in the first place.

The loss against the Tigers means that the Gamecocks now have a 2-2 record, sitting in the 16th position in the SEC. The problem lies in almost every area other than the quarterback position. Turning the season around would be a difficult task for Beamer. If he can put Sellers’ dual-threat abilities to good use and manage his team to play around him, they might have a chance against Kentucky.