Belief in Beamer Extends Beyond Fan Base

It’s not a stretch to say that most South Carolina football fans were sold on first year football coach Shane Beamer when he was hired and introduced to Gamecock Nation. From a national perspective, there is also a lot of belief he is the right guy to get the Gamecocks back to where they were when Beamer was an assistant coach at South Carolina under Steve Spurrier.

“The day that he did his introductory press conference, I hosted the show and we carried it live,” said SEC Network studio host and sideline reporter Alyssa Lang, who will be working Saturday’s game at Williams-Brice Stadium. “We’re about 10 minutes in, and a couple of my producers, some of our directors, and some of our analysts are texting me saying, ‘This guy is amazing! He’s winning the press conference by a mile.’ That’s the kind of thing I hear the most between then and every time a clip of him goes viral on social media. All I hear from guys like (SEC Network football analysts) Matt Stinchcomb and Roland Harper are things like, ‘I would want to play for this guy. This guy brings the energy.'”

Although Lang is a 2015 South Carolina graduate with a degree in broadcast journalism, she said she is able to take off the garnet-colored glasses when evaluating the program.

“I think everybody knows that patience is going to be a big virtue for the program from a fan perspective,” Lang said. “It’s not going to happen overnight, but the overwhelming perception that I’ve seen from others is that he is the perfect guy for the job.

“I was texting with guys who played at South Carolina when I was in school, and their answer was always the same, ‘it’s got to be Shane!’ If it’s good enough for the players who put up some of the best years in South Carolina history, that’s good enough for me! Since he has stepped on campus, he was won everybody over because he is so genuine. That goes a really long way.”

“I think most people think that Shane Beamer and the staff that he has assembled with guys that love South Carolina, and that’s so important, can take that next step.”

Beamer has repeatedly noted that he has seen South Carolina have success when he was here before, and there’s no reason that can’t happen again, and that sentiment is shared by some in the national media.

“From an outsider’s perspective, when you look at this program, and you see the success that it had along with the success many of the other athletics programs at South Carolina have had, that sets the tone for where football can go,” Lang said. “Frank Martin (men’s basketball) got to a Final Four, and Dawn Staley (women’s basketball) won a national championship, and that’s in a very competitive basketball conference. There certainly is an outside expectation that South Carolina is going to get back and be competitive in the (SEC) East.

“Even if you’re unfamiliar with the history of South Carolina and what it was like when Spurrier was here, if you walk on campus and look at the facilities and what they’re operating with, the kind of players that are taking visits, its feels like one of those ‘it’s only a matter of time’ kind of things. It’s not going to be overnight, but it’s not a program where you say this needs to change and that needs to change before they can be successful. It already has all the pieces. I think most people think that Shane Beamer and the staff that he has assembled with guys that love South Carolina, and that’s so important, can take that next step.”

Other than the big challenge of competing with the other schools in the SEC, Lang noted that another challenge in revitalizing a program is culture, and she is already seeing that happening.

“The way some of the players talk about (Beamer) makes me think the culture has already changed in that building,” Lang said. “I think they are encouraged to be themselves and encouraged to not be afraid to make mistakes so they can get better. Before talking to them, I would have said changing the culture is the biggest challenge, but I don’t think that’s the case. The biggest challenge now is changing that outside perspective, not from the media, but from the fans.”

Meanwhile, Lang is thrilled to be back at her alma mater this weekend, and she has no problem in maintaining her objectivity when working a game at South Carolina.

“I know people don’t believe me when I say that,” Lang said. “You put on a different mentality when you’re doing a game. I love my school, but just because I love my school, I don’t hate yours! For me, the coolest thing is being back on that field where I was trying to break in the business, carrying a 60-pound camera and tripod. It’s a really cool full-circle moment. It feels like a family reunion to me.”