Georgia Tech Following Beamer's playing career, he became a
graduate assistant at
Georgia Tech under
George O'Leary for one season
(2000), helping with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.
Tennessee From 2001 to 2003, Beamer served as a graduate assistant under
Phillip Fulmer at the
University of Tennessee. He helped with the cornerbacks, assisted in all special teams areas, and oversaw game opponent scouting. In
2008, the Gamecock defense finished 2nd in pass defense and 13th in total defense nationally. His
2009 special teams unit blocked five kicks, tying for the SEC lead and ranking eighth in the nation, while the Gamecock defensive unit finished third in the SEC in total defense and fifteenth in the nation. In 2009 and 2010, Beamer also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks, "setting the foundation for the most successful run in school history". In
his first year, he coached the school's single season rushing record holder, All-American and ACC Player of the Year,
David Wilson. Beamer was also the acting head coach in the
2014 Military Bowl, as his father took a break from coaching to undergo throat surgery. The Hokies won by a score of 33–17. On November 1, 2015, Frank Beamer announced he would be retiring at the end of
the season.
Georgia On January 5, 2016, days after his father's retirement, Beamer was hired by the
University of Georgia to serve on
Kirby Smart's staff as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator. He coached several future NFL talents during his stint in Athens, including placekicker
Rodrigo Blankenship and tight end
Charlie Woerner. In
2016, Georgia ranked 112th in net punting average and 116th in kickoff return defense. By
2017, Georgia ranked 8th in net punting average and 40th in kickoff return defense, as well as 20th in kickoff return average, and Beamer appeared in
his second national championship game.
Oklahoma On January 22, 2018, weeks after Georgia defeated them in the
Rose Bowl, the
University of Oklahoma hired Beamer to be assistant head coach under
Lincoln Riley. Specifically, he was an assistant head coach for the offense, coaching tight ends and H-backs, and also played a role in overseeing special teams. Shane Beamer, still an assistant at Oklahoma, was considered one of the top candidates to replace Muschamp, alongside active head coaches such as
Hugh Freeze and
Billy Napier. South Carolina athletic director
Ray Tanner announced that the school had hired Shane Beamer as its 36th head coach on December 6, 2020.
2021 season Beamer led South Carolina to a 2021 recruiting class that was ranked No. 80 by
247Sports, and No. 74 by
Rivals.com. Additionally, Beamer brought on nine new assistant coaches to his staff, with only outside linebackers coach Mike Peterson remaining from Muschamp's staff. Most notably, he hired
Pete Lembo as assistant head coach and special teams coordinator,
Marcus Satterfield as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and
Clayton White as defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach. Due to the roster turnover from Muschamp and only winning six games over the previous two seasons, South Carolina was predicted to win four games in 2021. On September 4, 2021, Beamer coached and won his first game at South Carolina, a home game at
Williams–Brice Stadium against
Eastern Illinois. Beamer's first road game came a week later, with a victory over
East Carolina. His first conference game and first loss came another week later back at home, against the eventual national champion No. 2
Georgia. By the end of October, the Gamecocks were 4–4, meeting the preseason expected win total. On November 6, 2021, after a Halloween
bye week, South Carolina welcomed
Florida to Williams–Brice. Going into the game, the Gamecocks were 20.5-point underdogs and given a 15.3% chance to win by ESPN. Despite this, the Gamecocks upset the Gators in dominating fashion, winning the game with a final score of 40–17. The Gamecocks were now 5–4, exceeding the preseason expected win total, and only one win away from bowling. The win was described as the "first true taste" of the big wins that Beamer had experienced during the last time he was at South Carolina, as an assistant. Beamer said after the game: “I remember days and nights like this. We're not there yet. We're still a work in progress, but we took a big step tonight.” South Carolina won only one of its next three games, a comeback underdog victory at home against
Auburn, finishing the regular season 6–6 and achieving
bowl eligibility. Following the regular season, it was announced that South Carolina would face
North Carolina in the
Duke's Mayo Bowl, and that former Oklahoma quarterback
Spencer Rattler would be transferring to South Carolina. Rattler and Beamer had a connection from their time together at Oklahoma. Beamer wrapped up his first season with a 38–21 victory in the Duke's Mayo Bowl, finishing 7–6. Following the win, 4.5 gallons of mayonnaise were voluntarily poured onto Beamer. The video of this happening went viral and resulted in a lot of publicity and positive buzz for South Carolina's football program. The university has called the 2021 season "successful", with Beamer tying the school record for wins by a first-year head coach, doubling the preseason's expected win total and surpassing the win total of the two previous seasons combined. and No. 26 by Rivals.com, as well as a transfer portal class that was ranked No. 9 by 247Sports. The most notable transfer was
Spencer Rattler, who would be Beamer's starting quarterback for the next two seasons. The Gamecocks started the season 1–2, but would win seven of their last ten games, continuing a school trend of head coaches having memorable second seasons. On October 8, 2022, South Carolina upset No. 13
Kentucky on the road. It was Beamer's first ever SEC road win and also his first ever win over a ranked opponent. The win was described as "monumental" and Beamer was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week. Two weeks later, South Carolina defeated
Texas A&M for the first time in program history. By this point, South Carolina was on its first four-game winning streak since
2013, and subsequently entered the rankings for the first time since
2018. However, they would lose two of the next three games, falling out of the rankings once again. On November 19, 2022, South Carolina beat No. 5
Tennessee at home by a score of 63–38. South Carolina's 63 points were the most points scored by an unranked team over a top-five opponent in college football history. Additionally, Beamer became the first FBS coach since the FBS/FCS split to win twice by 20+ points as a 20+ point underdog, with the first occasion being against Florida in 2021. Beamer was named the Dodd Trophy Coach of the Week for the second time that season. The following week, the Gamecocks upset
their archrival No. 8
Clemson – a feat Muschamp had failed to achieve during his tenure – in
Death Valley, ending the Tigers' 40-game home winning streak and 7-game winning streak in the rivalry. Beamer became the only coach in South Carolina history to win back-to-back games against top-10 teams. These consecutive wins have been described as "two of the biggest upsets in program history". It was only the seventh time in history that a school had defeated AP top-10 opponents in consecutive weeks as an unranked team, and the first since 2003. Prior to the bowl game, Beamer's offensive coordinator since his inaugural season,
Marcus Satterfield, left to become an assistant at
Nebraska. Despite a lack of success in the NFL as an offensive coordinator, Beamer hired
Dowell Loggains from
Arkansas to replace Satterfield. In the Gator Bowl, South Carolina lost to
Notre Dame 45–38. The 2022 team finished the season with an 8–5 record and a No. 23 ranking in both major polls. It was the program's first 8-win season since
2017 and first final ranking since 2013. Beamer became only the fifth South Carolina head coach ever to have a team ranked in a final AP poll. Days after the end of the season, Beamer's annual salary was increased from $2.75 million to $6.125 million, making him the highest-paid head coach in program history.
2023 season Beamer led South Carolina to a 2023 recruiting class that was ranked No. 16 by 247Sports, and No. 17 by Rivals.com. It was South Carolina's highest-ranked recruiting class since 2012. Beamer also led South Carolina to a transfer portal class that was ranked No. 27 by 247Sports, and No. 49 by Rivals.com. Beamer entered the 2023 season facing what many called the most difficult schedule in the country. The Gamecocks lost their season-opener against No. 21
North Carolina, marking the first time Beamer started a season with a loss. For the third game of the season, South Carolina went on the road to face two-time defending national champions No. 1
Georgia. South Carolina unexpectedly started the game 14–3, and Georgia's 11-point deficit at halftime was its biggest halftime deficit in nearly three years. Early in the third quarter, ESPN gave South Carolina a 61.9% chance to win, but the Gamecocks could not hold onto the lead. Georgia completed a comeback and won with a final score of 24–14. After picking up its first conference win of the season at home against
Mississippi State, South Carolina then lost the next four straight games, placing them at 2–6 for the season and only one loss away from bowl elimination. By the end of this losing streak, the largest in Beamer's career, the team was noted for its injuries, particularly on the offensive line. The most frustrating loss in this stretch was against
Florida, blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead at home, after which Beamer received media attention for breaking his foot. However, with only home games remaining and some defensive adjustments, the Gamecocks started to turn their season around. They won their next three games, clawing their way back up to 5–6. South Carolina entered the regular season finale against No. 24
Clemson as 7.5-point underdogs at home, with one more chance for bowl eligibility. However, they lost with a final score of 7–16. Despite finishing the regular season 5–7, South Carolina still had a "longshot chance" to be selected for a bowl game, but this did not occur. South Carolina finished the 2023 season with a record of 5–7, missing a bowl game for the first time in Beamer's tenure.
2024 season Beamer led South Carolina to a 2024 recruiting class that was ranked No. 22 by 247Sports, and No. 31 by Rivals.com, as well as a transfer portal class that was ranked No. 16 by 247Sports, and No. 11 by Rivals.com. The signing class included two 5-stars for the first time in program history. Following the losing season, there was much change on Beamer's staff. He fired an assistant for the first time: running backs coach
Montario Hardesty. His associate head coach and special teams coordinator since his inaugural season,
Pete Lembo, left to become the head coach at
Buffalo. To replace Lembo, Beamer hired
Joe DeCamillis from
Texas. The Gamecocks started the 2024 season by defeating
Old Dominion and
Kentucky, before facing their first ranked opponent in No. 16
LSU. The Gamecocks lost to the Tigers 36–33, with many, including industry professionals citing questionable officiating as the reason for the loss. Following a win over
Akron and losses to ranked opponents in
Ole Miss and
Alabama, the Gamecocks were 3–3 and were predicted to lose their upcoming road game against
Oklahoma. The Gamecocks surprised many by winning a decisive 35–9 victory over the Sooners. The win over the Sooners was the first of a six-game winning streak, the longest in program history since
2013. This included three straight wins over ranked opponents, making Beamer the first head coach in program history to accomplish that feat. Highlight victories included a 44–20 rout of former Western division rival, No. 10
Texas A&M, a tight game against No. 23
Missouri, which Carolina won with a Sellers shovel pass to Rocket Sanders for a touchdown with less than 20 seconds remaining, and Beamer's second road victory against in-state rival, No. 12
Clemson. Subsequently, South Carolina lost to
Illinois in the
Citrus Bowl. For his outstanding efforts during the
2024 season, Shane Beamer won the SEC Coach of the Year award, becoming the third South Carolina Gamecocks coach to win the honor after Lou Holtz and Steve Spurrier. == Recognition ==