University of South Carolina's 36th Head Football Coach

Shane Beamer | Biography

Son of Former College Football Player And Retired College Football Coach, Frank Beamer

• By Priya
• Update : December 16, 2021

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Shane Beamer is a former American Football player and the current head coach at the University of South Carolina.

Who Is Shane Beamer?

Shane Beamer is a former American Football player and the current head coach at the University of South Carolina. He has served as an assistant coach to many universities, including Georgia Tech, Mississippi State, University of Tennessee. In addition, he played college football for Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Beamer played college football as a wide receiver and long snapper. 

Early Life and Education

Shane Beamer was born in Charleston, South Carolina on 31 March 1977. He is the son of a former college football player, Frank Beamer, and Cheryl Beamer. Frank is the retired head coach of Virginia Tech Hokies. He has a sibling named Casey. His mother and father are co-authors of a children's book 'Yea, It's a Hokie Game Day,' published in 2006.

Beamer graduated from Blacksburg High School, Virginia, in 1995. He graduated from Virginia Tech University in 1999 in Interdisciplinary Studies and did his Masters from the University of Tennessee in 2003 in Sports Management.

College Football Career

Beamer chose to play college football following his father's footsteps. Division I-AA Charleston Southern offered Beamer a partial scholarship to play at Virginia Tech University. He joined the Virginia Tech Hokies in 1995 as a wide receiver. He later played as a long snapper.

Beamer was also a part of the 1999 Virginia Tech Hokies team led by his father, Frank Beamer. The latter played in the NCAA Division I-A national championship as a member of the Big East Conference. To date, Beamer has played on three Big East Conference championship teams and four bowl teams.

Coaching Career

After college football, Beamer quickly got into coaching. First, he started as a graduate assistant, gradually becoming an assistant coach and later head coach. Beamer has coached 17 bowl games in his entire career. He was posted 18-non losing seasons where his teams have won 62.5 percent of their games.

Georgia Tech

Beamer's first step as a coach was when he joined Georgia Tech in 2000. He joined the team as a graduate assistant to help with the Yellow Jacket wide receivers and quarterbacks. In the same year, Black Coaches Association Classic, Beamer's squad was supposed to play against his father. However, the game was canceled due to lightning, and Georgia Tech refused to reschedule it.

Tennessee

Beamer joined the University of Tennessee in 2001 as a graduate assistant under Phillip Fulmer. He stayed there till 2003.

Mississippi State

In 2004, Beamer was recruited by Sylvester Croom for the Mississippi State University as the Bulldog cornerbacks coach. During his time in Mississippi, he led three defensive backs to Freshman All-SEC honors. 

From cornerbacks, Beamer assumed the running backs coach and served as a recruiting coordinator for MSU in 2006. The class of 2006 included Anthony Dixon, who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills in the NFL.

South Carolina (Assistant Coach)

In 2007, Beamer joined South Carolina as the first season's outside linebackers and co-special teams coordinator. In the second campaign, Beamer served as the cornerbacks coach. 

From 2009 to 2010, Beamer became South Carolina's special teams' coordinator, recruiting coordinator, spurs, and safeties. His class of 2008 finished second in the nation in pass defense and 13th in total. His 2009 class was ranked 12th-best class by Scout.com and Rivals.com in 2009 and was among the top 25 in 2010-11.

Virginia Tech

In 2011, Shane joined his father, Frank, in Blacksburg. He was the running backs coach and tutored New York Giants' David Wilson, the All-American and ACC Player of the Year, and the school's single-season rushing record holder. 

While in Virginia Tech, Beamer got into a controversy in 2014 where he was accused of accepting Wake Forest game plan information before Virginia's game against Demon Deacons. By the time the accusation surfaced, Beamer had accepted an assistant coach position at the University of Georgia. The University later fined him $25,000 for his involvement.

Georgia

In 2016, Beamer joined the University of Georgia as a tight ends coach/special teams coordinator as Kirby Smart's staff member. He coached tight end Charlie Woerner and placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship, who went on to play in the NFL during his tenure at Georgia.

Oklahoma

In January 2018, Beamer joined the University of Oklahoma as assistant head coach under Lincoln Riley's tenure. During his time, the team averaged 48.4 points per game, becoming the nation-leading scoring offense.

South Carolina (Head Coach)

After two decades of experience as an assistant coach, Beamer finally got a shot as a head coach in 2020. The University of South Carolina named Beamer as its 36th head football coach. He previously served as an assistant coach in South Carolina in 2007. 

Wife & Children

Beamer is married to his wife, Emily. Together, they have three children - daughters Sutton and Olivia and a son, Hunter.