Recently there has been a lot of discussion and debate on what will define a successful season for the Gamecocks in 2024. Some say that 7-5 would be considered a success while others say getting to 6 wins will define success.

It goes without saying that getting to a bowl game is a must for Beamer and company in year 4, but would only 6 wins satisfy Gamecock nation? In other words, is getting to 6 wins in year 4 of the Beamer era enough to signal progress and excite the fan base for the years to come?

To answer this question, I think it’s important to understand why many consider getting to 7 wins as a success and anything less than that a failure in year 4 of Shane Beamer. 

It used to be that when a coach took over what was unanimously considered a rebuild, as South Carolina was prior to Beamer taking over, it was almost guaranteed that he would get at least 5 seasons to show signs of a heartbeat. I think now that NIL and the portal have taken college football by storm and programs can fill holes in the roster quicker than ever before, the consensus is that if a coach does not have it figured out by season 3 or 4 then there is little hope that anything will change.

Given that Beamer qualified for a bowl in his first 2 seasons, how can just getting to a bowl game be considered a success?  I think that is fair because, in theory, it should be easier to assemble the pieces necessary to build a consistently competitive program and the bar should be higher than aspiring to just qualify for a bowl in year 4.

That said, it is important to keep in mind 2 major factors: NIL and the portal exist for every other program as well, and there is a negative side to the portal. 

While the portal and NIL both allow for teams to speed up the acquisition of talent, this is also the case for the other programs within the conference. For South Carolina, some of the biggest spenders in NIL exist within the SEC. So, while USC is improving its talent under Beamer, so are the other teams, and in many cases, these programs simply have more resources than the Gamecocks. While South Carolina has had NIL wins (ie Nyck Harbor), it has seen its fair share of departures to the portal including some big names (ie Juice Wells). 

There is no doubt that the Gamecocks have improved their talent levels since Beamer has taken over. That cannot be disputed, but this notion that because it is year 4 and the talent has improved the Gamecocks should achieve 7+ wins while not accounting for the challenges they’ll face next season is not entirely fair.

I am not making the argument that getting to 6 wins every season should be the goal, but let’s consider the challenges of this upcoming season.

A redshirt freshman QB who has flashed but has yet to attempt a pass against SEC competition, enigmatic WR room, and an unproven o-line highlight the uncertainty of the offensive side of the ball. One could even make the argument that while the RB room is improved on paper it is still an unknown. Will Rocket Sanders return to the level of 2 seasons ago or will injuries plague him again? Will Adaway and Howell transition well to the SEC? To take it a step further, Dowel Loggains was a breath of fresh air at times last season, but in some games the offense never clicked. Is this who he is as a coordinator or will the offense find more consistency under his guidance?

Defensively, the Gamecocks added several key pieces, and in all likelihood will be a stronger unit next season, but until it plays up to the level of talent it possesses, I am not holding my breath that the defense will take a significant step forward next season. 

Combine these uncertainties with the strength of the schedule and getting to 6 wins would be a huge success for the Gamecocks. 

There are 4 “built-in win” for South Carolina next season. The remaining 8 games will likely have the Gamecocks as an underdog, so “stealing” 2 of these would be a success for USC. 

Many consider Kentucky to be one of these games but to get to 6 wins the Gamecocks would have to upset 1 other team. The most likely candidates are Texas A&M, Missouri, and Clemson, but Carolina is a combined 2-7 against these opponents during Beamer’s tenure. That does not mean that they are incapable of beating these teams and won’t beat them, but even defeating 1 of the 3 to get to 6 wins with the youth at crucial positions has to be considered a success.

That said, assuming South Carolina is able to retain most of their talent and add more through the portal and high school recruiting, the bar for defining success would and should be elevated. I think 7-8 wins in year five is a must to continue to display the progress the fans and everyone associated with the program wants to see.

NIL and the portal have enhanced the talent level at South Carolina but I think it is inaccurate to say that it has placed the Gamecocks in a position that in year 4 of Shane Beamer they are capable of pulling off 3 or more upsets next season. I think with time he will build this into a program that has a floor of 7-8 wins, but that does not start next season. Get to 6 wins, win the bowl game, and call it a success.