The 2024 Cheez-It Citrus Bowl was full of drama, overshadowing Illinois’s 21-17 victory. The main controversy involved Brent Bielema’s notorious substitution taunt, but there was more at play for South Carolina’s head coach, Shane Beamer.
One of the most surprising moments came when South Carolina safety Nick Emmanwori was escorted to the locker room by the Gamecocks’ director of character before the second half. Emmanwori missed the entire second half, claiming he had “told his coach” about his decision.
Beamer quickly made it clear, and with noticeable frustration, that the coach Emmanwori referred to was not him. “Communication — and I thought we had done a good job of it leading up to the game — but clearly didn’t do a good enough job from a communication standpoint because there was a breakdown in there somewhere,” Beamer explained a month after the incident, according to The State.
Since then, Beamer has clarified the situation more calmly, expressing more understanding than he did in the immediate aftermath. Following the game, Beamer had been visibly angry when asked about Emmanwori’s absence, simply calling it an “internal team matter” and refusing to comment further.
Emmanwori also addressed the issue, using a social media post to apologize. “As for the bowl, it was just some miscommunication between me and some coaches,” he wrote. “We weren’t on the same page. I’ll take some accountability for that … never intended for it to end like that and I never quit on my teammates. Still one hell of a season to look back and celebrate, glad I was a part of it.”
A likely reason for the miscommunication was Emmanwori’s decision to declare for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Beamer, eager to end Emmanwori’s college career on a positive note, shared his gratitude for the safety’s contributions. “Appreciate all he did for our program and the plays he made for us this season. And I think if everybody had to do it all over again, both sides probably would handle it a bit differently than what happened,” Beamer said.
Moving forward, Beamer will prioritize improving communication within his team during the offseason.
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Shane Beamer Signs Contract Extension with South Carolina Through 2030
Shane Beamer signed a contract extension with South Carolina on Friday morning that will keep the Gamecocks football coach in Columbia through the 2030 season.
“I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and to lead our football program as the head coach,” Beamer said in a statement. “Thank you to President Amirides, Thad Westbrook and the Board of Trustees, Ray Tanner and Jeremiah Donati for their trust and support. As I’ve said before, this is my dream job,” added Beamer. “My family and I love being here. We’ve accomplished a lot on and off the field over the past four years, but we’re not satisfied. There’s more to do and we’re just getting started.”
Beamer’s salary will be bumped up to $8.15 million for the 2025 season and he’ll get a $100,000 raise each season to put him at $8.65 million in 2030. The total value of guaranteed salary comes out at $50.4 million dollars over 6 seasons.
The Gamecocks coach would owe a $5 million buyout if he were to leave South Carolina in 2025. That amount will decrease by $1 million each year over the course of the contract.
“The culture and commitment to excellence that Coach Beamer has built in our football program shows that we are headed in the right direction and on a strong upward trajectory,” thletics Director Jeremiah Donati said in a statement from the school.
“Coach Beamer has made clear his desire to be at the University of South Carolina and this extension shows our collective support for him as the leader of our football program.”
Beamer has gone 29-22 in his 1st four seasons at South Carolina, more wins than any other coach in school history. He’s also taken the team to 3 bowl games in 4 seasons.
2024 was Beamer’s best season to date leading the team to a 9-4 record including going 5-3 in the SEC. It was just the 8th time in school history the team has reached 9 wins.
