After leading South Carolina to one of its best seasons in school history, football coach Shane Beamer has been given a new contract that will extend through the end of 2030.
Beamer, who helped the Gamecocks achieve a 9-4 record this past season, will earn $8.15 million this year, with $100,000 annual raises, as detailed in a term sheet of the contract obtained by ESPN. His previous contract, signed in 2023, had him set to make around $6.6 million this year.
The new deal includes a $5 million buyout if Beamer leaves South Carolina within the first year, with the buyout decreasing by $1 million each subsequent year.
Beamer’s contract extension was approved by the South Carolina board of trustees on Friday.
“I’m proud to represent the University of South Carolina and to lead our football program as the head coach,” Beamer said in a statement. “This is my dream job, as I’ve said before. My family and I love being here. We’ve achieved a lot both on and off the field in the past four years, but we’re not done yet. There’s still much more to accomplish, and we’re just getting started.”
The new deal makes Beamer the ninth-highest-paid coach in the SEC, alongside Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, according to USA Today’s coaches salary database. Georgia’s Kirby Smart is the league’s highest-paid coach, earning about $13.3 million annually.
Beamer, 47, has a 29-22 record since becoming South Carolina’s head coach in 2021, the best mark for any Gamecocks coach in their first four seasons. He has led the team to bowl games in three straight years, including a 21-17 loss to Illinois in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on December 31.
Last season, South Carolina closed the regular season with six consecutive victories, including impressive wins over then-No. 10 Texas A&M (44-20), then-No. 23 Missouri (34-30), and then-No. 12 Clemson (17-14).
This marked only the eighth time in school history that the Gamecocks won at least nine games in a season.
Beamer was also named SEC Coach of the Year by The Associated Press.
“Our football program’s culture and commitment to excellence under Coach Beamer show that we are on the right path and moving in a positive direction,” said South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati. “Coach Beamer has demonstrated his desire to stay at the University of South Carolina, and this extension reflects our full support of him as the leader of our football program.”
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