Shane Beamer: South Carolina 'plans to celebrate' SEC trophies; Zeb Noland reclaims GA job
COLUMBIA – The ethereal enthusiasm surrounding Shane Beamer’s South Carolina football program the last couple of weeks finally heard a tangible buzz Saturday inside Colonial Life Arena during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Florida.
Buzz started when Beamer and offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield surprised everyone, including North Carolina’s coaching staff, when they called on the quarterback services of Dakareon Joyner; he was named MVP of the Duke’s Mayo Bowl and Beamer shouted him out in front of the crowd Saturday.
Momentum has rolled over to the offseason as the Gamecocks staff has almost continuously landed targeted transfer portal players, like Spencer Rattler (Oklahoma), Devonni Reed (Central Michigan), Christian Beal-Smith (Wake Forest) and others.
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Excitement for USC football is palpable within the fan base. The coach and his team got an up-close view of it this weekend, an important one for Beamer and the program as it’s hosting several key recruits who were in attendance at the basketball game.
South Carolina football players and staff were being honored during halftime for the Gamecocks' winning season – which most pundits didn’t see coming – as well as their 38-21 win against the Tar Heels in the bowl game.
But for Beamer, it was an opportunity to tell not the fans but potential future Gamecocks players of the grander plans he has for South Carolina.
“I plan on being here a long, long, long, long, long time if you guys will have me,” Beamer said to the crowd, which erupted louder and louder with every “long.”
“I’ve been around some special teams in my time, and this one was special. We’re just getting started. We plan to be out here, getting to celebrate and be presented SEC trophies to this team.”
Zeb Noland staying at South Carolina
Beamer shared this bit of news during halftime that Zeb Noland will remain with the football program, again filling a graduate assistant role. It was not specified the exact role Noland will hold.
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After his North Dakota State playing days ended, the Oconee County, Georgia, native joined USC as a graduate assistant working with the receivers. An early fall camp injury to Luke Doty provided Nolan an avenue to exhaust his final year of eligibility, and he started the first three games for South Carolina in 2021.
He became a fan favorite, coming off the bench on the last drive and leading South Carolina to the game-winning touchdown against Vanderbilt.
Cory Diaz covers the South Carolina Gamecocks for The Greenville News as part of the USA TODAY Network. Follow his work for all things Gamecocks on Twitter: @CoryDiaz_TGN
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Shane Beamer: South Carolina football 'plans to celebrate' SEC titles
