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Why South Carolina's Shane Beamer says he is such an emotional football coach, tears and all
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- Why South Carolina's Shane Beamer says he is such an emotional football coach, tears and all
COLUMBIA — Shane Beamer 's voice trembled.
He was in South Carolina 's locker room after the thrilling 17-14 victory at Clemson on Nov. 30.
"For that to be," was all he could say before South Carolina defensive back O'Donnell Fortune walked over to give him shoulder pads to cry on. Beamer latched onto the hug, as his players yelled, "Let it out, Coach!" in a video posted by the team.
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The tears Beamer wiped away weren't the first ones shed by the coach at a South Carolina football game.
A year before, after South Carolina lost to Clemson and didn't qualify for a bowl game, Beamer also cried.
"There was criticism that I took then," Beamer told The Greenville News. "People saying, 'He's way too emotional to be a head coach. Look at him right here. They just lost the game, and he was crying.' Well, last year it's a negative thing, because we were 5-7. This year, it's 'Look how much he cares.'"
Sitting on the couch in his office mid-December, South Carolina (9-3) was preparing for Tuesday's Citrus Bowl vs Illinois . Looking around at pictures of his tight ends at Oklahoma , his running backs from Virginia Tech , his family and memories of Columbia on the walls, he explained that's just who he is.
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"Players don't know how much you know until they know how much you care," Beamer said.
"When I'm the head coach and the leader, and players see me being willing to put myself out there, I think they're able to do the same. I've always been one of those guys who is not afraid to wear my emotions on my sleeve ... when you care about something and you pour your heart into something, emotions come out."
When he says he's just being himself, that's not a pat on the back, it's deflection from taking credit. It's natural for him but he makes a dedicated effort to care about his players and staff.
"I'm a people person: I like relationships," Beamer said. "I can sit here and tell players stuff, but if you're not who you say you are, if you don't back up what you say, if you're not real and genuine, it doesn't work."
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What impressed LaNorris Sellers about Shane Beamer's approach
South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers walked into Beamer's office one day last season.
"Do you know every player on the team's name?" Sellers asked. "I don't think you don't, but there's just a lot of college coaches that I don't think do."
Beamer knows more than names. He knows where every player is from, the origin of their nickname, their families and why players came to South Carolina. It's not just him; it's a non-negotiable for every coach. He's even had his offensive coordinator stand up and name every defensive player.
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"Not just saying we're going to be close and connected, but being very intentional about showing that," Beamer said.
Beamer wants a culture of openness with individuality. "We don't ask guys to be anybody that they're not," he said.
The massive glass jars of candy on the coffee table in his office have become a vehicle for deeply personal conversations, sometimes tearful realizations, or simple laughter. Each player is welcome to share what makes them the person they are upon grabbing a piece of gum or a Snickers.
"I love the fact that even if they just come in here for five seconds, it's five seconds where I'm able to connect with them," Beamer said. "I love that they can talk (to me) about anything ... There's a lot of things on their plate. I want them to know that door's always open."
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How Shane Beamer recruits for South Carolina football
It never gets lost on Beamer that when he's asking for players to dedicate 100% of themselves to his program, they're barely adults.
"They're still young college students that are going through the same problems and issues that any other college student is going through," Beamer said. "They just happened to be on national television every week and part of a billion-dollar business."
Starting with the 2025-26 school year, athletes will likely be allowed to receive pay directly from colleges, but that doesn't mean difficulties will vanish. Helping athletes through that process is natural for Beamer.
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"Truly caring about them and connecting with them, I love that aspect of my job," Beamer said. "That's why the NFL has never appealed to me because they have their own families, but in college, you're getting kids at a critical time in their lives where they're developing and you can help them with things. ... I tell recruits' parents all the time that I don't take that responsibility lightly, that they are entrusting me and this coaching staff with their son."
He's learned his culture shows in unexpected moments.
"I had a recruit tell me that his mom said, 'You need to consider South Carolina because of the Fantasia video,'" Beamer said, referencing when his team helped him sing "When I See U," by Fantasia to his wife in the locker room after beating Texas A&M on Nov. 2.
"It wasn't the fact that I was singing Fantasia to my wife in front of the team," Beamer said. "It was about 'this coach is willing to put himself out there. You can see the connection that he has with the players.'"
The extra communication is exhausting but it doesn't matter if building relationships with his players in his free time adds to Beamer's already filled schedule.
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"There's only 16 head coaches in the SEC," Beamer said. "I am blessed to do what I do. It's very high pressure and and it's 365 days of pressure, but I'm not going to let it take away the joy that I have about being here, and I'm not going to let it keep me from being who I am."
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at lkesin@gannett.com and follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @Lulukesin
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Shane Beamer explains why he's so emotional as South Carolina coach
