After a hectic start to his head coaching career at the University of South Carolina, Head Coach Shane Beamer spent last Thursday night talking to fans at his first ever “Carolina Calls’ event. Beamer was asked anything and everything by fans in person at Home Team BBQ in the heart of Columbia, SC or by phone.  

Shane was asked by many fans if he would allow spring practices to be open to the public this March. In response of the question Beamer said he would be open to having fans at spring practice and media but would ultimately be up to COVID-19 precautions, and how the athletic department and state feels about it. Having fans at practice is a welcoming sign for fans as it’s been something the Gamecock faithful have wanted for a long time, as Head Coach Will Muschamp rarely had practices open to the public. This brings nostalgia for fans as former Head Ball Coach Steve Spurrier had fans at every practice and thought it was important for fans to be able to see his players’ practice, even in the 100-degree weather, prime weather for Columbia.  

After talking about fans at spring practice, Head Coach Shane Beamer then moved to COVID, and discussed how that still is having an impact on the football program and operations, as almost this time last year the football operations were shut down due to the Coronavirus and the Gamecocks were without a spring practice. As of now, “at least in our facility, everything has been good” Shane Beamer said on COVID’s impact. He later said that the SEC Head Coaches will meet via zoom on Thursday and Shane expects a COVID-19 update to be a part of the call, as the SEC and other college football conferences are hoping to stay open and alive throughout the spring and summer before kickoff of the 2021 season. 

Beamer also said the Gamecocks would start spring practice later than usual, (other programs are also following suit) due to the coronavirus timeline and just because Beamer’s staff was finalized two weeks ago and the staff needs more time to get their game plan, plays, and overall coordination together by the time Spring Practice starts on March 24th, one month before Shane Beamer’s inaugural spring game on April 24th.  

The Shane Beamer era is in full swing right now in Columbia, South Carolina and fans have many reasons to be excited for this new brand of football. Shane Beamer hopes he can revitalize a broken fanbase and football program and once again become a top player in the college football world.