Shane Beamer

Shane Beamer (born March 31, 1977) is an American football coach and former player who is currently the head coach at the University of South Carolina.

He is the son of former Virginia Tech football coach Frank Beamer.

Beamer is the highest-paid coach in school history.

Beamer was born on March 31, 1977, in Charleston, South Carolina, to Cheryl (née Oakley) and Frank Beamer, at the time defensive line coach for the Citadel Bulldogs.

He is the first South Carolina coach to win back-to-back games against top 10 teams and the first FBS coach since 1978 to win twice by 20+ points as a 20+ point underdog.

In 1987, his father was named head coach of Virginia Tech, and the family moved to Blacksburg, Virginia.

He attended Blacksburg High School where he lettered in both football and baseball, was first-team Group AA all-state receiver, and played in the 1995 Virginia high school all-star football game.

In 1995, Beamer chose to walk on as a wide receiver at Virginia Tech—where his father was head coach—over an offer of a partial scholarship from Division I-AA Charleston Southern.

Later, he moved to long snapper, the position he played during the Hokies' 1999 season, in which they played for the national championship.

That was his last game as a football player, having graduated in December 1999.

Following Beamer's playing career, he became a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech under George O'Leary for one season (2000), helping with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.

Beamer's team was scheduled to play against his father's team in the 2000 Black Coaches Association Classic to open the season, but the game was canceled because of lightning and Georgia Tech refused to reschedule it.

From 2001 to 2003, Beamer served as a graduate assistant under Phillip Fulmer at the University of Tennessee.

He helped with the cornerbacks, assisted in all special teams areas, and oversaw game opponent scouting.

In January 2004, for Beamer's first full-time coaching position, he was hired by Sylvester Croom at Mississippi State as cornerbacks coach and recruiting coordinator.

In 2004 and 2005, three of his defensive backs earned All-SEC Freshmen honors.

In the spring of 2006, Beamer remained the recruiting coordinator and became the Bulldogs' running backs coach.

Beamer both recruited and coached running back Anthony Dixon, who would go on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.

On February 14, 2007, Beamer was hired by Steve Spurrier at the University of South Carolina to coach outside linebackers and to serve as the special teams coordinator.

In 2008, the Gamecock defense finished 2nd in pass defense and 13th in total defense nationally.

His 2009 special teams unit blocked five kicks, tying for the SEC lead and ranking eighth in the nation, while the Gamecock defensive unit finished third in the SEC in total defense and fifteenth in the nation.

In 2009 and 2010, Beamer also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks, "setting the foundation for the most successful run in school history".

The 2009 class was ranked 12th best in the nation by Scout.com and Rivals.com and included future NFL Draft picks Stephon Gillmore and Alshon Jeffery.

Both the 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes ranked in the top 25 and included future South Carolina stars and NFL players Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw.

On February 14, 2011, it was announced that Beamer would join his father in Blacksburg as the running backs coach.

In his first year, he coached the school's single season rushing record holder, All-American and ACC Player of the Year, David Wilson.

Wilson was subsequently drafted in the first round by the New York Giants.

The 2014 season was notable in Beamer's career for several reasons.

Firstly, Beamer accepted Wake Forest game plan information prior to Virginia Tech's game against the Demon Deacons.

The information was provided by Demon Deacons radio analyst Tommy Elrod, a former Wake Forest player and assistant coach who was at the center of what became the "WakeyLeaks" scandal.

Virginia Tech eventually lost the game 6–3 in overtime after a 0–0 tie in regulation.

Beamer was also the acting head coach in the 2014 Military Bowl, as his father took a break from coaching to undergo throat surgery.

The Hokies won by a score of 33–17.

On November 1, 2015, Frank Beamer announced he would be retiring at the end of the season.

The accusations came to light in 2016 when Beamer had moved on to an assistant coach position at the University of Georgia.

Beamer denies providing the information to the coaching staff or players but was fined $25,000 by Georgia for his part in the scandal.

On January 5, 2016, days after his father's retirement, Beamer was hired by the University of Georgia to serve on Kirby Smart's staff as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.

He coached several future NFL talents during his stint in Athens, including placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship and tight end Charlie Woerner.

In 2016, Georgia ranked 112th in net punting average and 116th in kickoff return defense.

By 2017, Georgia ranked 8th in net punting average and 40th in kickoff return defense, as well as 20th in kickoff return average, and Beamer appeared in his second national championship game.