Weekly thoughts: South Carolina at Media Days
Now that South Carolina and the other 15 SEC teams have finished up media days, it seemed an appropriate time to bring back my weekly thoughts piece on Gamecock athletics.
Shane Beamer and three Gamecock football players just finished up a day in Dallas speaking with local and national media. What did I learn? That, plus more, in this week’s edition.
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The media poll.
Really, it’s not a big deal. But here’s how the media picked the order of finish for the 2024 SEC football season.
1. Georgia Bulldogs – 3,330 (165)2. Texas Longhorns – 3,041 (27)3. Alabama Crimson Tide – 2,891 (12)4. Ole Miss Rebels – 2,783 (4)5. LSU Tigers – 2,322 (2)6. Missouri Tigers – 2,2407. Tennessee Volunteers – 2,1688. Oklahoma Sooners – 2,0229. Texas A&M Aggies – 1,68410. Auburn Tigers – 1,38211. Kentucky Wildcats – 1,37112. Florida Gators – 1,14613. South Carolina Gamecocks – 923 (1)14. Arkansas Razorbacks – 74915. Mississippi State Bulldogs – 62316. Vanderbilt Commodores – 293 (2)
I can’t find much fault in the top four and figured it would be a combination of those four programs. LSU at number five was a mild surprise, as I thought Missouri was more likely to land there.
The Gamecocks play 6 of the top 10 programs in the poll this season.
What about where South Carolina is pegged? Shane Beamer certainly would not be angered or surprised, as he acknowledged earlier in the week that USC would fall in that 12 to 14 range.
There are a few teams that USC could have realistically jumped in my opinion, namely Kentucky and Florida. But it’s also understandable for Carolina to fall just below them.
The reality is that Gamecock football just submitted a 5-7 season, there are a bunch of good teams in this league, and South Carolina’s going to have to translate some of the offseason tweaks and on paper improvements into wins on the field.
Which leads me to my next point…
Prove it.
Under Shane Beamer, South Carolina exceeded expectations in years one and two. Once that happened, it had a two-pronged affect.
First, it caused some to forget that the Gamecocks had just suffered four and two-win seasons, respectively, the two seasons prior. It also created an expectation for some that yet another leap needed to be taken in year three.
To be clear, the 2023 season wasn’t acceptable – Beamer has noted this – and fell short of even what should have been reasonable expectations.
The point is that, for this program, it’s all about what you do this season. A season similar to last year would be cause for concern. Take a significant step forward, and perhaps 2023 could end up being viewed as an aberration.
We don’t know yet which direction it’s going to go. On paper, the Gamecocks have upgraded plenty of spots on the roster. Shane Beamer made more significant changes than he had so far in his tenure.
There are still questions to be answered. For anyone taking a “show me” posture, I get it. But you don’t have to stretch to find a path for this team to take that step forward this season, either.
Random thoughts.
— Brent Venables tormented South Carolina during his time at Clemson, but he had some kind words about the Gamecocks program during SEC Media Days this week while answering a question from Jordan Kaye of The State.
Just a portion of Brent Venables' 3:34 response to @jordankaye_23, praising Shane Beamer and South Carolina."What I've always appreciated about South Carolina – it doesn't matter how the team is doing. They're going to show up early and stay late." https://t.co/rPl4vSqdOd pic.twitter.com/WySWlmazeN— Julia Westerman (@JuliaWesterman) July 16, 2024
— Anyone looking for evidence that a coach can submit a poor season – or multiple poor seasons – but still rapidly turn things around can look no further than Missouri.
Eli Drinkwitz had a warm seat heading into last season after going 5-5, 6-7, and 6-7 his first three years in the other Columbia. Then he went 11-2 and the Tigers are hot in recruiting and on the field.
For one, sticking with it helped. But Drinkwitz pointed out, without being asked specifically, how much of a role Missouri’s getting out in front of NIL helped them in roster retention and recruiting. It has indeed been huge for them.
Fans frustrated that things have been slower going in Columbia on this front have every right to feel that way, but as we’ve written, the NIL outlook has been improving as of late.
— Billy Napier is under some heat at Florida and fielded some questions about it out in Dallas.
Florida is a different animal, because Gators fans want to win and also win in a certain manner. Napier is an odd fit down there, particularly when thinking about the style points and entertainment value that Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer brought in Gainesville. Those two also brought a bunch of wins, something that Napier hasn’t done yet.
He may only get one more chance against a schedule that’s laughably difficult. Even if UF can score some wins in September and October (there are multiple top 25 teams in that part of the slate), November is ridiculous. The Gators have to play Georgia, at Texas, LSU, and Ole Miss.
I’m not surprised that Napier referred back to “the process” and things of that nature when asking questions about his program going into year three. But to the earlier point, Florida fans don’t want to hear things like talking about putting a staff together two years ago. They want wins going into year three.
If they don’t come this season, he may not have a chance to try again.
— Is Alabama being undervalued this season? Even with where the Crimson Tide are being picked in the SEC, perhaps so.
Yes, Nick Saban is gone, and he was the best. But let’s not forget that Kalen DeBoer is inheriting a program that just went to the College Football Playoff even in a year that seemed very uneven in 2023.
And let’s also not forget that DeBoer has the look of an elite coach. In year two, he took Washington the national title game. In his entire head coaching career, he’s lost just 12 games – with 104 wins.
— Hope everyone has a great week, and thanks for being a member of GamecockCentral.com!
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