South Carolina's season will come to an end in the Palmetto Bowl on Saturday (noon ET, SEC Network), win or lose. But that won't be the end of the Shane Beamer era in Columbia, no matter the outcome.
Gamecocks AD Jeremiah Donati confirmed to The State that Beamer will get a sixth season at South Carolina in 2026.
The 2025 campaign was Beamer's most anticipated yet -- coming off a 6-game win streak to end the regular season, including victories over No. 10 Texas A&M and No. 12 Clemson, the Gamecocks were among the first teams out of the inaugural College Football Playoff. That finish earned him a contract extension through 2030.
Ranked No. 13 to begin this season, South Carolina rose to No. 10 after a 24-11 win over Virginia Tech to open the year, but the Gamecocks dropped their SEC opener 31-7 to Vanderbilt, and it never really got better from there. South Carolina finished the season 1-7 in SEC play, with the offense taking the bulk of the blame.
Quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who entered the year garnering Heisman Trophy and first-round pick buzz, regressed; he fell from third in the SEC in passing efficiency to 11th this season, hitting just 61.8 percent of his passes for only 11 touchdowns to date. As a unit, South Carolina finished 14th in yards per play, 15th in total offense, 15th in rushing, 15th in yards per carry, 12th in passing efficiency and 15th in scoring in conference games.
The Texas A&M game was the epitome of South Carolina's season. The Gamecocks were talented enough to build a 30-3 lead on the road against the No. 3 team in the country, and dysfunctional enough to lose that lead in just 19 minutes of play.
Relatedly, Beamer fired offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley on Oct. 12 and offensive coordinator Mike Shula on Nov. 2.
Finding quality assistants to hop on board as Beamer enters 2026 on hot-seat status will be the defining task of Beamer's offseason. The next offensive coordinator will be Beamer's fourth in six seasons.
"I do know next year at this time we're going to be sitting here on this Tuesday night watching the playoff rankings to see where we are," Beamer said last week. "We're going to be firmly in the mix for a College Football Playoff berth next year at this time."
This offseason will require massive improvement to see that pledge come true. The addition of a ninth SEC game means South Carolina faces road trips to Alabama, Florida and Oklahoma, and home dates against Georgia, Tennessee and Texas A&M, along with the annual game with Clemson.
But now we know for certain Beamer will at least get that opportunity.