Swinney reached out and wished new Gamecocks coach Beamer well, except one game

Swinney says he reached out to Beamer last week to offer well wishes. (ACC photo).

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Mon Dec 07 17:23:32 GMT-04:00 2020

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney considers Shane Beamer a friend, and when he heard that Beamer was in talks to become the new head coach at South Carolina, Swinney reached out to Beamer for a short conversation. He also thinks the Gamecocks have made a good hire.

South Carolina officially announced on Sunday that Beamer, an assistant at Oklahoma, will be its next football coach, succeeding Will Muschamp who was fired after a 2-5 start this season. Beamer is the son of legendary former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer and worked as an assistant for the Gamecocks from 2007 to 2010 under Steve Spurrier.

Beamer has never been a head coach but has also worked at Georgia Tech, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Virginia Tech and Georgia. Most recently, he's been serving as an assistant head coach and tight ends coach for the Sooners. The 43-year-old was a walk-on player for his father at Virginia Tech from 1995 to 1999.

Swinney told the media Monday evening during his weekly teleconference that the Gamecocks made the right decision in selecting Beamer.

“I think they made a good hire. I consider Shane a friend. He's a good person. I've known him for a long time and he's always stayed in touch over the years,” Swinney said. “He has got a sweet wife and is a great family guy. I have tons of respect for his entire family. Coach Beamer is one of the good guys in the business. He is just a great guy and became a friend. But Shane, I've known for a long time. Shane was with Woody (McCorvey) at Miss St., so I've known him a long time and just think he's a really good person and has been very successful as a football coach. Obviously, he is our rival and all that type of stuff but I have a lot of respect for him as a person and as a man and as a father and as a husband and a football coach. I think they hired a good man.”

What advice would Swinney give Beamer on running a program in the state of South Carolina?

“Just be himself. He knows what he needs to do and he will do a great job,” Swinney said. “Just be himself and surround himself with good people and be an inside-out program. That is where it starts.”

Swinney said he reached out Beamer last week when heard that Beamer was in line for the job in Columbia.

“When I heard he might have a shot at it, I reached out to him and wished him well and touched base with him. He is a good man and someone I have a lot of respect for,” Swinney said. “I certainly wish him well. All but one. Obviously, we have to compete and we look forward to that. But I am excited for him and happy for him and his family. He has had a great career path and has a lot of experience and I am sure he will bring that with him.”

He then said that while some might see a parallel between Swinney taking over Clemson despite not being a head coach and Beamer doing the same at South Carolina, Swinney said the circumstances are different.

“Different circumstances and different stages in our careers,” he said. “Any head coach, at some point you have to be a first-time head coach. There is no head coach out there that didn't get the first job out there somewhere. We have had different paths.”