That happened fast.
Oklahoma was missing a single coach from the sidelines on Saturday night after a long week with multiple coaches in COVID-19 protocol. Shane Beamer’s absence was not unexpected as he was among the list of coaches who were in protocol, but the news that broke on Saturday night was unexpected.
Deep into the fourth-quarter of Oklahoma’s game against Baylor, Bruce Feldman dropped the news: Sooners assistant coach Shane Beamer had been hired to be the head coach at South Carolina.
Lincoln Riley was unaware of the happenings after the game, but the report has already come to fruition. Beamer is in South Carolina and being introduced as the next head coach of the Gamecocks on Sunday.
Here is his arrival at the South Carolina football facility.
Just In: A first look at Shane Beamer arriving at the @GamecockFB ops building.
I asked Beamer how’s it feel to be back in Columbia and he told me, “It’s awesome. It’s great to be home.” Beamer will be introduced to the team with USC AD Ray Tanner at 3:30 @wachfox pic.twitter.com/f1tZyj6Z3r
— Mike Uva (@Mike_Uva) December 6, 2020
Beamer reportedly interviewed for the job the week of Thanksgiving. Oklahoma’s game against West Virginia that week was postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Sooners.
He came to the Sooners in 2018 after spending two years as the special teams coordinator and tight ends coach at Georgia. Beamer spent 2011-15 at Virginia Tech and was an assistant at South Carolina before that.
“I’ll wait to talk to him first,” Riley said after the Baylor game. “Obviously, he wasn’t available to coach for us tonight. So it’s not like I’ve been able to sit and visit with him. If it is true, certainly be thrilled for him. Those are opportunities that you don’t always get. If it is the case, great decision by South Carolina.”
Beamer helped Oklahoma win two Big 12 Championships and make two College Football Playoffs. He also opened up a lot for the Sooners on the east coast for recruiting.
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