The board of trustees approved a new contract for head football coach Shane Beamer during its meeting on Friday. The approval of athletics contracts was the sole item on the board's agenda.
Under the five-year agreement, Beamer will earn a base salary of $6.125 million in 2023, and his salary will increase by $250,000 annually through the 2027 season, when he will earn $7.125 million. ESPN's Chris Low reported earlier in the day that Beamer's annual salary was expected to be in the $6.5 million range.
This is a significant pay raise compared to his previous contract, which paid him $2.75 million per year. According to USA Today's public database of college football head coach salaries, Beamer's salary was the lowest of the 13 head coaches at public SEC schools.
Beamer has the opportunity to make as much as $1.25 million if certain incentives are met, such as making appearances in or winning bowl games, the SEC Championship or the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Beamer was hired as South Carolina's head coach in December 2020 after a three-year stint as an assistant head coach for offense at Oklahoma. In his first season at the helm, he led a team that finished 2-8 in 2020 to a 7-6 record in 2021, culminating in a Duke's Mayo Bowl victory over North Carolina in the season finale.
The Gamecocks upgraded to an 8-5 mark in year two, which included late-season victories over top-10 teams Tennessee and Clemson and an appearance in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against Notre Dame.
During their meeting, the board of trustees also agreed to make changes to the contracts of five other coaches on Beamers' staff, including defensive coordinator Clayton White, and promoted offensive analyst Lonnie Teasley to offensive line coach.