South Carolina’s season that started with hype, holding the No. 13 AP poll rank, ended up vanishing from the playoff rankings after five straight losses. Now, sitting at a 3-7 record, Shane Beamer finds himself on the hot seat, holding the bottom spot in the SEC below elite teams. Despite the struggles, Beamer remains resolute that things will change for good and already has a clear playoff intention for next season.

Well, despite a tough end, Shane Beamer is locked in on next year’s playoffs. “I do know next year at this time, we are going to be sitting here on this Tuesday night watching the playoff rankings to see where we are in the rankings show. We are going to be firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth next year at this time,” he said. The Gamecocks have thrived under Shane Beamer’s guidance, as last year he almost took his team to the playoffs with a 9-3 record.

While Beamer is confident about his team making it to the playoffs next season, the evidence doesn’t back his claim. He has a 32-29 reacord in the five years he’s been at South Carolina. Shane Beamer also has a 1-2 record in bowl games and no college football appearance to talk about. Though they have shown flashes of excellence after almost winning against Texas A&M last week, but they blew up a 28-point lead, losing 31-30 in the end.

Following the loss, ESPN demoted the Palmetto Bowl to the SEC Network. But that’s not going to be the case next year, as Beamer said: “We’re all sick about this feeling, but we’re not going to go through this thing again, and we’re going to go finish this season out the right way and send these guys out the right way. The minute that thing hits zero on the clock after the Thanksgiving weekend game, we’re full speed ahead on 2026.” This optimism might buy him some time, but after missing bowl eligibility this year, he’s right in the hot seat.

Now, his contract does save his fate, as Shane Beamer will earn $8.15 million this season, as his contract got extended till 2030 after going 9-4 last season. With that, he will also earn an annual bonus of $100,000. With this, Beamer is among college football’s top 20 highest-paid coaches. This makes his buyout a whomping $27.9 million if the university decides to fire him next month.

But let’s not forget, despite holding a $49 million buyout, Penn State ended its run with James Franklin. On top of that, LaNorris Sellers, who’s the cornerstone of their offense, might declare for the draft, leaving them with a big spot to fill. Now, with everything at stake, let’s wait and see if Beamer’s able to keep his promise.

Shane Beamer and his team have more to lose

Texas A&M didn’t just turn Shane Beamer’s fate but also cost his team big time, as two of his players, Nyck Harbor and DB Brandon Cisse, left the game with injuries. Harbor landed hard, making a fourth-quarter catch, and then took a defender directly on his chest, after which he needed medical attention.

But now both seem to be recovering fine, as Shane Beamer said: “They’re progressing,” Beamer said Tuesday. “Cisse was full-go today in practice. Nyck’s better than what he was a couple of days ago. Jalewis Solomon missed the game a couple of days ago with an injury. He’s trending in the right direction, I would say, on those guys.”

Harbor produced one of his best games before leaving with an injury, as he finished three catches for a career-high 102 yards, highlighted by an 80-yard touchdown that pushed South Carolina to a 27-3 lead in the second quarter. Cisse’s injury details still remain under wraps, but he did play 28 snaps. Now that his team is getting back into form, let’s see if South Carolina can end its season with five wins or not.