Shane Beamer spoke at SEC media days earlier this week, and, although he did not have anything earth shattering to say, he was bullish on South Carolina as a consistent playoff contender. There is no doubt that Beamer is building the Gamecocks into a competitive football program, but is consistently qualifying for the college football playoff a realistic goal that he can achieve at South Carolina?

I understand the optimism from Beamer. Of course he is going to use this as an opportunity to speak highly of the USC program on the national stage. What coach wouldn’t? That said, media days are notorious for fans and media buying into and overreacting to what coaches and players say. 

But could there be truth to Beamer’s comments? Nick Saban even seemed to agree with him by saying “they’re really not that far off”. Saban is not known for mincing words and embellishing the truth, so there must be some merit to Beamer’s words. 

Only 3-4 programs have consistently made it to the playoff since its inception in 2014. These programs include Alabama (8), Clemson (6), Ohio State (5), and Georgia (3). 

These programs all had some commonalities that led to their playoff runs: dominant play along the line of scrimmage, strong defenses, elite QBs, and quality depth. 

This is what it takes to consistently reach the playoff, especially from conferences like the SEC. 

Looking into how Beamer is building this program, he has undoubtedly overhauled the offensive and defensive lines. I think the production is lagging due to the inexperience as some of these players are either incoming freshmen or new to the program. Both sides of the LOS, however, have the most depth and talent it has had in quite some time. 

On paper, this should be the best defense that Beamer has had at South Carolina. If it will actually play out that way is yet to be seen, but this season could serve as a springboard for the defense for years to come under Beamer. 

Specific to the quarterback position, Sellers could be the one to continue what Rattler started. QB play was severely disappointing prior to Rattler, and if Sellers is the player we all expect him to be, he could be the catalyst that leads to elite recruiting at the position.

It will be interesting to see how Beamer goes about addressing the depth and talent to the line, and to all positions for that matter, in the coming seasons. Does he stay with the portal approach, start to build this position up through high school recruiting, or continue with a blend of both? There is no question, though, that the Gamecocks need to continue adding depth to their roster.

In the days of NIL, having a strong financial backing is the best way to ensure that your program builds and maintains depth at a competitive level. I think South Carolina has decent NIL support and shouldn’t struggle in this regard, but I am not convinced that there is enough firepower there to qualify for the playoff year-in year-out. 

For South Carolina to consistently reach the playoff, they’d have to consistently be a 9 win program. I don’t think reaching 9 wins is out of the question for some seasons. I trust Beamer’s ability to build the program, and as noted above, he is following the blueprint of highly successful programs. I think he needs time for this to manifest into a 9+ win team with a chance to get into the playoff. Assuming he’s given that opportunity, though, I expect the Gamecocks to have a legitimate shot at the playoff sooner rather than later, and could likely be participants every 3-5 seasons.