After the 2025-26 season's 4-8 record, head coach Shane Beamer and his new staff found it time for major changes all over the program.
“You're always looking at ways to be better and how you can improve as a team, program, coach, and certainly I'm no different," Beamer said. "When you had the season that we had, you're always looking at ways to tweak, and are we doing this the best way possible,”
Whether it was the layout of spring practice or placing new recruits at different positions or replacing the entire offensive scheme, the program is evolving forward with many new members of the coaching staff.
Spring practice format changes
When discussing the spring schedule, Beamer discussed Luke Day and Chip Morton, strength and conditioning coaches, and their ideas for changing spring’s layout.
“When you have so many new faces each year with the portal, high school freshmen, springtime is really where you lay the foundation for everything," Beamer said. "It's just a newer model because rosters turn over so much. In the past, you really weren't adding many players, ... and now you're adding so many new portal guys. Well, maybe the old way of thinking's a little outdated, and there's a better way of doing things.”
With this practice switch-up, it turned practice into a three-day block, giving the position coaches more time with their players and honing in on the small details.
As Beamer looks back on the past two years, one aspect he noticed was missing in the 2025 season that needs to be intact for the 2026 season is leadership.
“You look at our 2024 team, you can sit there and say, 'Man, those guys that had been around here for a while, they weren't here last year, and it showed in a lot of ways,'” Beamer said. “We need to make sure that we don't come out of the 2026 season saying, 'Man, the leadership needed to be a little bit better.' And that's on all of us, starting with me as the head coach.”
Offense takes 'spring forward' to new level
As South Carolina’s offensive coordinator Kendal Briles gets acclimated into South Carolina, his changes in the offense become apparent at the start of spring practice.
“(I) didn't really look at previously what was going on from a playbook standpoint, and we knew we wanted to come in and implement our system,” Briles said. “Fortunately, there's some carryover from what has been run here in the past. Some of that helps with the players, but nowadays, there's so many players to come in and out of programs. Whether that helps or not, it may help a couple guys, but that part of it's been pretty easy.”
As the offensive schemes continued to change and shift, the offensive line followed suit. With 10 outgoing transfers, eight new faces have entered the program. One player includes the most recent commitment of a rugby-player-turned-offensive-lineman from Ireland, 20-year-old Neff Giwa.
“You're able to watch Neff play rugby, and you can see some of the skill set and the toughness and the athleticism for sure,” Beamer said. “Being around him and seeing what kind of person he is, he's just engaging, and he's awesome, just a really impressive young man.”
As practices and scrimmages continue to roll out, players have commented on what they think of the schemes, and the common answer is fast. The defensive and offensive players that have returned or been around the program for a couple of years have mentioned the change of tempo and keeping up with the new schemes.
"Fast-moving offense, everyone just working together, defense is being competitive ... We're just all getting everyone better," senior tight end Maurice Brown II said.
The infamous injury bug hit the offensive line pretty early on this year. Junior left tackle Josiah Thompson will probably miss the 2026 season with a lower-body injury, and redshirt senior offensive tackle Jacarrius Peak is expected to miss the entire offseason with a knee injury.
Offensive line coach Randy Clements spoke about his outlook on the injuries as a whole.
“An injury is just an opportunity for somebody else. It's opportunity for guys to get more reps there, create depth, create competition,” Clements said. “Football guys, they're going to get hurt here and there, and you have to plan for that, and you have to foster that competition so that the next guy that's called on, he's ready.”
The new and returning linemen have started to mesh into South Carolina with Clements and his assistant, a former first-round NFL draft pick, Jason Smith. Clements coached Smith while he played at Baylor University.
Defense guides through 'irreplaceable faces' departure
As the offensive schemes continue to change and shift, the defense is more focused on filling the gaps. With cornerback Brandon Cisse and defensive backs DQ Smith and Jalon Kilgore declaring for the NFL Draft, defensive coordinator Clayton White is looking for faces to step up to replace the secondary depth.
One face that White has looked towards is redshirt senior defensive back Peyton Williams.
“Peyton is definitely the new voice back there,” White said. “I'm excited. He's Mr. Consistent. He's always been that way and just excited about what he's going to do this spring and just bringing guys along with him, beside him and behind him.”
Williams has already been making plays in recent practices and scrimmages, including having the only turnover in the March 28 scrimmage.
Key returners, such as redshirt senior defensive back Gerald Kilgore and senior defensive back Judge Collier, have paired with the new freshmen. One player that caught Collier’s eye was true freshman defensive back Kosci Barnes, due to their similarities.
“He reminds me a lot of me when I first got here, like he's learning a lot,” Collier said. “He's coming fast, but he's picking it up. He's making the plays.”
With the new renovations to Williams-Brice Stadium, there will be no annual Garnet & Black Spring Game. Fans will be able to meet-and-greet and get to know the players at the Garnet & Black Spring Fest on Saturday, April 11, at Colonial Life Arena.