Shane Beamer Named Finalist for the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy

University of South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer is one of five finalists for the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank, officials from the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Peach Bowl, Inc. announced today. Finalists include five of the nation’s top college football coaches who embody the award’s three pillars of scholarship, leadership and integrity, both on and off the field.

This year’s finalists, which also includes Kenny Dillingham from Arizona State, Marcus Freeman from Notre Dame, Dan Lanning from Oregon and Jeff Monken from Army, represent four different conferences and an independent institution, with coaches from the AAC, Big 12, Big Ten and SEC all being recognized.

These coaches have combined for a 55-7 record so far this season and have collectively won 227 games and five conference championships throughout their careers.

Considering The Dodd Trophy represents more than just a coach’s performance on the field, a coach in his first year, who has not had a full season to establish his own impact on APR and the local community, is not eligible to win.

Wrapping up his fourth season leading the South Carolina Football program, Shane Beamer is enjoying his most successful season to date.

Beamer’s 2024 squad posted nine regular season wins, something that has been done just five times in school history. The Gamecocks recorded a school-record four wins against ranked opponents, including three in consecutive weeks as part of a season-ending six-game winning streak. He was the Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Week following the Gamecocks’ upset win over Texas A&M and earned SEC Coach of the Year accolades from the Associated Press and USA TODAY. He is also a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award. The Gamecocks will finish the season with their highest ranking since 2013.

Beamer, who owns a 29-21 record, has won more games through his first four seasons at Carolina than any other coach, one more than Steve Spurrier, the school’s all-time winningest coach.

“This year’s finalists truly represent the next generation of coaching greats for our sport considering four of the five selections have been head coaches for less than five years,” said Jim Terry, chairman of the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. “Coach Dodd would have admired how these coaches have been able to establish success within their programs, both on and off the field, particularly so early in many of their head coaching careers.”

“In what has been a season to remember highlighted by the expansion of the College Football Playoff, these five coaches stood out among the rest,” said Gary Stokan, Peach Bowl, Inc. CEO and president. “This year’s finalists have succeeded at the highest level with their student-athletes on the football field, in the classroom and throughout their communities. We’re honored to recognize all that they have accomplished this season and congratulate them for epitomizing everything this award stands for through their unwavering commitment to scholarship, leadership and integrity.”

Finalists were selected by a panel consisting of all previous winners, national media, a member of the Dodd family and a College Football Hall of Fame member. The winner of the 2024 Dodd Trophy Presented by PNC Bank will be announced in Atlanta during bowl week at this year’s Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.