South Carolina’s Shane Beamer doesn’t coach at one of the Southeastern Conference’s superpowers, which likely made it more difficult for him to retain standout Gamecocks players. This includes edge rusher Dylan Stewart and quarterback LaNorris Sellers.
It’s safe to say Beamer is fed up with the length of time players have to decide whether to stay or be swayed, especially after having had to convince those two key performers to stay.
“People don’t need two different portal windows that cover around six weeks to decide that they want to transfer from somewhere,” Beamer told On3 college sports business and transfer portal reporter Pete Nakos on Thursday. “You either want to be part of that program or you don’t.”
The first transfer portal window opened on Dec. 9 and closed on Dec. 28. The second is a 10-day period in April, from April 16 to April 25, and provides a second chance for players to relocate if they choose.
Shane Beamer has some coveted talent on his roster
On3’s J.D. PicKell gave a pretty good reason as to why other teams would want to swipe from Shane Beamer’s group and add LaNorris Sellers to their rosters ahead of next season. In terms of passers at the collegiate level, PicKell doesn’t think there’s anyone better heading into next fall.
“If you were drafting quarterbacks that are returning to college football, LaNorris Sellers from South Carolina is my No. 1 pick,” PicKell said last month. “Hear me clearly. This dude is not Cam Newton. He has comped to Cam Newton a lot. But he is the closest thing when it comes to physical giftings that we’ve seen since Cam Newton.
“And, y’all, that sounds hyperbolic. I really don’t think it’s that much of a stretch. … I think when you watch him on Saturdays — when you’re sitting down at home watching the broadcast — you have a certain, I think, sense when he drops back and gets a rush. The play never feels dead for LaNorris Sellers.”
During his first go-round as the starter for Shane Beamer and South Carolina, Sellers passed for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Against Missouri, he erupted for 353 yards through the air, along with five touchdowns.
Dylan Stewart, on the other hand, had 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a freshman, prompting PicKell to label the Gamecocks’ defensive front as “must-see TV” in October. Stewart was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2024, according to 247Sports.
“Rare physical specimen with the athleticism to be weaponized as a game-wrecker up front,” 247 Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins wrote of Stewart in his scouting report. “Looked almost like an NFL player during practices for the Under Armour All-America game with a chiseled frame. … Projects as a multi-year impact player at the Power Five level with the clay to be molded into an early-round draft pick.”
Shane Beamer convinced Stewart to join him, despite the talented defender also receiving offers from bulldozers such as Ohio State, Georgia, Alabama and Michigan.
