'Not going to find a finer family': Shane, Emily Beamer reunite with OU as Gamecocks face Sooners

Shane Beamer once bled crimson and cream.

The current South Carolina head coach served as OU’s assistant head coach for offense, tight ends and halfbacks from 2018-20. Alongside former head coach Lincoln Riley, Shane Beamer led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl appearance in 2018 after a 12-2 season, the Peach Bowl in 2019 after another 12-2 season and a Cotton Bowl win following a 9-2 finish in 2020.

Now ready to face OU as the South Carolina head coach, Shane Beamer embraces where he has been as well as where he is now. 

“It's one of those situations where he loves where he is, and he loved being at Oklahoma,” Frank Beamer, Shane’s father, said. “And while he was there, just the people out there, Joe Castiglione, the athletic director, I mean, one of the top athletic directors in the country, and Lincoln (Riley), a guy that's very, very well thought of in the coaching ranks, he was just with good people, good place, great town, great support. … He always appreciated that.”

Frank Beamer recorded the most wins in Virginia Tech history as the Hokies' head coach from 1987-2015, and Shane followed in his footsteps when he began his coaching career. However, Shane Beamer has built up his own reputation of determination and success.

Shane Beamer worked under former Tennessee head coach Phil Fulmer — who led the Volunteers to 15 bowl games from 1992-2008 — in 2001-03 as a graduate assistant and Sylvester Croom — the Southeastern Conference coach of the year in 2007 — from 2004 to 2006 as a recruiting coordinator. He also coached alongside Steve Spurrier — the winningest coach in South Carolina history — as a linebackers coach for the Gamecocks in 2007 and two-time-national-championship-winning Georgia head coach Kirby Smart in 2016-17 as a tight end coach. 

“I don't know if anybody's got a resume (with) the same people, (including) really good coaches that he was with and learned from, and the thing is he never once asked me to make a call for him,” Frank Beamer said. “He did it himself. He wanted to be his own guy, and that's the way he operates.”

Shane Beamer's support system and success as a graduate assistant, position coach and recruiting coordinator made an impact on Joe Castiglione too.

“He really was a rising star in the profession,” Castiglione said. “So when Lincoln Riley successfully recruited him from the Georgia staff, it was, I think, a major addition that we made, not only in the position he coached but his unique ability (with) special teams. He is an elite special teams coach, and part of that may come from the bloodlines because his father’s teams were always known to be amongst, if not the best, special teams. … It's all part of creating a moniker of ‘Beamer Ball.’ It's just creative, innovative.”

Frank Beamer's time as head coach at Virginia Tech was so successful that his style of play — one driven by special teams and defense — earned a nickname. Castiglione knew that Shane Beamer was talented like his father and would later be a successful head coach too.

‘Real blessing’

Castiglione often meets with coaches who are aspiring to be a head coach. Shane Beamer reached out to the athletic director to discuss leadership and other qualities at the beginning of the his time at OU. 

“Shane was one of those coaches that wanted to get insight on what he could do to better prepare himself for a role as a head coach in the future,” Castiglione said. “So we would talk about everything, whether it had something to do with coaching or the whole profession or growth personally, and (I) got to know his family well.”

Shane Beamer’s wife, Emily, witnessed how considerate Castiglione was in making time for her husband and passing on his knowledge.

“He is just, obviously, a great athletic director, and Shane loves to just grow and advance himself by learning from people like him," Emily Beamer said. "He was always making time to meet with Shane and just let Shane pick his brain about questions he had. He was just a great mentor.”

While Castiglione mentored Shane Beamer, he became well acquainted with his parents, Frank and Cheryl Beamer. Shane’s father and Castiglione were on the College Football Playoff committee together in 2018-19.

“You're not going to find a finer family than the Beamer family, whether it's Frank Beamer or Shane Beamer, (Cheryl) or Emily,” Castiglione said.  “… I've been blessed to know both of them in different situations but just as great human beings as you ever want to be around.”

The Beamer family connected well with many members of the athletics department, including football and beyond.

Emily Beamer said that she and her husband bonded with Zac Selmon, former OU deputy athletic director and current athletic director of Mississippi State, and OU men’s golf head coach Ryan Hybl. Shane Beamer, according to Castiglione, was one to connect well with everyone he interacted with.

“He (was) approachable, friendly, personable, kind, could go on and on,” Castiglione. “When we had a chance to be around fans and donors, he was terrific. … The players loved being around him. But also very humble, he never made it about himself. He always found a way to ​​make people around him feel good, and that became such an attractive skill for him even though he was probably doing it naturally.”

One of Emily Beamer’s fondest OU memories is spending Christmas in Miami during the 2018 Orange Bowl game. The Sooners lost 45-34 to Alabama, but the location and time with close friends resonated with her.

“Miami is a great, great place to be able to spend Christmas,” Emily Beamer said. “I remember we lost to Alabama, a vivid memory, but … we just had such a great staff. And we all were great friends and had kids. They were all friends, and it was just a really special group of people for us in that standpoint of getting to do life with them and then spending the holidays with them.”

The 2018 season also included Shane Beamer coaching Joe Castiglione's son. The former Sooner was a walk-on fullback under Shane Beamer, and it created an interesting dynamic between the athletic director and the coach. 

Castiglione said he tried to be careful about not interfering with his coaching as a parent and that his son bonded with Shane Beamer.

“We were always very mindful of not crossing over and interfering with him coaching my son versus him growing or learning more about the profession itself, ... but I heard from my son (about) how much he admired, respected and just simply loved playing for him as a position coach,” Castiglione said. “He couldn't stop talking about how he helped him grow, how he developed him, the inspiration he was to his players, just would go on and on about the real blessing he felt having him as a position coach.”

The Sooners led the nation in total offense in 2018 before ranking No. 3 in 2019 and No. 6 in 2020, paving a path for him to later be a head coach.

“I give him a lot of credit for doing all of the kinds of things that go into being a successful coach, mentor, recruiter, leader, culture catalyst, all the different skillsets a head coach needs,” Castiglione said. “He was intentional.”

‘Feels like home’

Former South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner called Castiglione in search of a new head coach following the 2020 season.

The Gamecocks finished the 2020 season 2-8 and fired former head coach Will Muschamp. Tanner heard about Shane Beamer’s admirable traits before hiring him in December 2020.

“I remember talking about the kinds of attributes that are very critical to a head coach being successful,” Castiglione said. “It's not just your IQ, but it's your EQ. It's a person's emotional intelligence and self-awareness … and being a leader of a large group. He's got those kinds of attributes that really serve him well.”

Landing the head coaching job at South Carolina also meant a homecoming for the Beamer family.

Shane Beamer was born in Charleston, South Carolina, before growing up in Virginia. He moved to Columbia, South Carolina, six months after marrying Emily, and their two daughters were born there. They also vacationed in South Carolina while at other programs.

“It was just special in the sense (that) we had already been here before,” Emily Beamer said. “Our girls were born here; … it just feels like home.”

In Shane Beamer’s first year at South Carolina, 2021, he led them to a 7-6 record after 2-8 the year before, and he tied a school record for wins by a first-year head coach. In 2022, he took the Gamecocks to an 8-5 record, and they finished inside the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2013.

“It's difficult to go into any environment, especially as a first-time head coach, and start to make a transition to build a culture that one needs for their team to be successful and recruit toward their established team identity, but having said all that, it's not surprising for me to see him have success,” Castiglione said. “And he's having it in the toughest league in America, so that’s really impressive.”

However, he followed the 2022 season with a disappointing 5-7 mark in 2023, with the injury plague being one of the factors. In 2024, though, the Gamecocks bounced back with a 9-4 record, including a school-record four wins against ranked opponents. 

The Gamecocks started 3-3 in 2024 before a 35-9 win over OU in Norman that ignited a six-game win streak to earn a spot in the Citrus Bowl.

“Last year ended up being really special,” Emily Beamer said. “We started out a little slow, actually, and then we went on to win six in a row and get into the Citrus Bowl. … We just got hot at the right time, and we, just our team, kept believing in ourselves.”

‘Always enjoy playing Oklahoma’

South Carolina, in 2025, is set to face OU (5-1) as a 3-3 team again.

Gamecocks redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers has recorded 1,010 passing yards so far in 2025 after 2,534 in 2024, including 175 against the Sooners. Emily Beamer said that the energy is similar to last year when Shane, Sellers and the Gamecocks turned around their season after facing the Sooners.

“It's really the same,” Emily Beamer said. “We know we have a good team; we know we have the right people. We have a great quarterback in LaNorris Sellers. We have great receivers, and we have great defensive players. We know that they're capable, and we're still hoping to get hot and keep going.”

This year, the Gamecocks and Sooners are facing off at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia as opposed to meeting in Norman last year.

“Having them come to our place is obviously a different experience for OU versus us coming to (them),” Emily Beamer said. “And I think Williams-Bryce is such a fun experience. … I hope that everyone enjoys the Williams-Brice experience.”

Regardless of record and location, the Beamer family embraces reuniting with friends from its crimson and cream days.

“We always enjoy playing Oklahoma,” Emily Beamer said, “and getting to see some friends on the staff there and friends that will come to town for the game.”

This story was edited by Laurie Jones.