Josh Pate Says One SEC Coach May Not Survive the 2026 Season

Every season, college football coaches from around the country find themselves on the hot seat entering the year.

It's their job to improve their teams, so by the end of the season, they find themselves off that hot seat, instead of without a job. That's the task for South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer.

Shane Beamer's Program Has Been Up-And-Down

Beamer has done a lot of great things while at South Carolina. He's won seven or more games in three of his five seasons. That includes a 9-4 2024 season, in which the Gamecocks were one of the hottest teams to end the season, and nearly snuck into the College Football Playoff.

The issue is that he also has two losing seasons, including last year when the team went 4-8. At South Carolina, losing seasons aren't rare. It has had five since 2015.

The issue is that the 4-8 season followed the 9-4 year, and they returned several key pieces, including star quarterback LaNorris Sellers and star EDGE Dylan Stewart. That can't happen when you want to keep your job.

South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer disputes a pass interference call in the game. | Ken Ruinard / USA Today Co Inc SC / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Josh Pate Flags Beamer's Job Security Risk

But Beamer has earned enough grace to remain the coach for this upcoming season. The reality is, he'd better win. Josh Pate was asked on "Josh Pate's College Football Show" if he could see a scenario where both Beamer and Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney are no longer at their schools next season. Pate said he thinks it's more likely that Beamer is gone.

"Can you imagine the turmoil in South Carolina if both major programs, in all likelihood, have fired their head coaches?" Pate said. "... It's easier to envision for South Carolina because they are coming off a 4-8 season. And if Shane were to go sub .500 again, I think that probably would be it for him."

The Margin For Error Is Gone in 2026

The positives for Beamer are that Sellers and Stewart are still on the team and still perceived as two of the best players in college football. But this just shows how things can change. After 2024, it looked like Beamer had built a stable program and would be a problem for years to come in the SEC. Just one season later, he finds himself on the hot seat.

But if history repeats itself, 2026 should be a good year. That's because every time Beamer has had a losing season, the following year has been a strong year. In 2023, the team went 5-7; 2024 was a strong year, but 2025 was a setback.

If he can get the team back to bowl eligibility, he likely will return in 2027. However, if he doesn't, the Gamecocks will once again be looking for a new person to lead their program.

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