Newly hired South Carolina football head coach Shane Beamer expressed his excitement for the position and his goals for the future in his first media press conference Monday afternoon.
University of South Carolina President Bob Caslen immediately addressed his respect for Beamer's character and explained his excitement for Beamer's future at South Carolina.
“Today is a day of great promise,” Caslen said. "Coach Beamer has been mentored by the best, he has a wealth of experience, he knows the Southeast[ern] Conference ... he's got the competence and most important, I am absolutely convinced he has the character that will bring this program to a championship level."
South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner said “we’ve found the man to lead our football program."
“In 21 seasons, [Beamer's] participated in 17 bowl games ... he played in a national championship game and he coached in a national championship game," Tanner said. "For a long time, he's been preparing to become a head coach."
When asked about his plan for success at South Carolina, Beamer expressed that recruiting high-character players who are grateful to play football as Gamecocks is his first priority.
"A core value that is very big with me in my life on and off the field is gratitude," Beamer said. "I want a team that feels the same way and understands what an amazing opportunity and how special it is to be a Gamecock ... At the end of the day, if you have a bunch of guys that are high-character, extremely competitive and have a passion for playing football, the rest of that stuff [physical attributes] will take care of itself."
Beamer told a story of when he was 10 years old and was the headset "cord carrier" for his dad, who was the head coach at Virginia Tech. He would practice carrying a cord in his garage at home to make sure he was ready to go on the field that coming Saturday. Beamer explained that attention to detail and the value of practice are still just as important to him today.
"One thing [my father] always talks about still to this day is 'take care of the little things and the big things will follow,'" Beamer said.
Beamer said he is planning to build a program with his team around loving each other and the University of South Carolina, being grateful for the opportunity to play football in the SEC and setting a tone of positivity and trust between the players and staff.
"I want a program that plays with great joy and great passion on Saturdays and you see that in the way they live their lives day in and day out," Beamer said.