Shane Beamer 'really looking forward' to OU trip in October

DALLAS, Texas — South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer received a text message about an hour before his press conference at SEC Media Days on Monday.

It was from OU golf coach Ryan Hybl, expressing his interest in meeting up with Beamer when the Gamecocks come to Norman in October. For Beamer — who spent three seasons as an OU assistant — Hybl is one of many familiar faces he's sure to see in a few months.

"For me, it’s a work trip," Beamer said. "My kids are disappointed it’s an early kickoff because they were expecting, hoping to have a full Friday and a full Saturday of seeing all the things, people and places back in Norman.

"I had a great time there. Got great friends there... "The opportunity to get connected and be with the Oklahoma program was a great opportunity… Learned a lot. Pretty cool being a part of that tradition and it will be a big challenge going back to Norman on that Saturday. But really looking forward to the trip."

Beamer will need to treat it like it's any other game, but it'll certainly be a sentimental return for the former OU coach. Oklahoma will host the Gamecocks on Oct. 19 at either 11 a.m. or noon CT, one of only two early kickoffs for the Sooners all season.

Prior to landing the head coaching gig at South Carolina in 2020, Beamer spent three years on the Sooners' staff. He was officially hired as an associate head coach for offense in 2018 while overseeing the tight ends and H-backs, and also assisted with special teams. He played a big role in the development of Austin Stogner, Jeremiah Hall and Brayden Willis during his time with the Sooners.

It's been four years since he left the Sooners, but there are still some players left over from Beamer's time in Norman. Notably, he mentioned he helped recruit defensive end Ethan Downs, and cornerback Woodi Washington was on the team during Beamer's last season in 2020. He still thinks of his Sooners' tenure fondly.

But he knows the Sooners will still face some challenges as new members in the SEC.

"I think (there's) a couple of (challenges), one on the field an another one off the field," Beamer said. "From being in other conferences — and I’ve coached in multiple leagues in my career — it’s the size and the depth and the athleticism that you see on the line of scrimmage every single week in this conference. I can remember being at Oklahoma coaching tight ends and you would be getting ready to play most Saturday’s and there may be one or two guys on the opposing defensive line that you really have got to be cognizant of. Like this guy can really wreck your game if you don’t have a plan for him.

"But then you come into this league, it’s not one or two. It’s like six or seven every single Saturday on the line of scrimmage. So that’s one thing that stands out to me that stands out. And then the other part off the field, and it’s awesome, is the venues you go into in this league…. Every single Saturday it’s an event in that town… There’s nothing like it."

Beamer's return only increases the stakes for this October showdown. The Sooners, who finished 10-3 season, will be looking to prove they belong in their new conference. The Gamecocks, meanwhile, are coming off a disappointing 2023 campaign where they finished 5-7 and didn't make a bowl game. It'll also be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.

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