“That was not a fun night,” Beamer said of A&M's 44-14 demolition of the South Carolina Gamecocks last fall. “That’s a terrific venue to play in. It’s not an easy place to play.”

The A&M game, where the Aggie defense annihilated the South Carolina offense, may have been the low point for Beamer. His team bounced back, ended the season with a winning record and a bowl win. After adding some big names in the transfer portal during the offseason, Beamer feels like the Gamecocks are back on their way to being contenders in the SEC East.

"We made great strides, going from two wins to seven wins," he said. "I really like this 2022 group that we have. I love being their coach. I love coaching this team. The work ethic, the maturity, the hunger to improve has been evident since January when we came back after the bowl win."

The biggest name on the team wasn't part of that bowl win. Former Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, who was projected by many to be a first round pick before the 2021 season began, is starting over in Columbia. Beamer said he's looking forward to turning the offense over to a player with a winning pedigree.

"I don't worry about Spencer. There may be some outside pressure with him. He's been through the fire before. I saw firsthand how he handled it when he was at Oklahoma and started out 0-2. Never flinched. Continued to get better. There will be some ups, certainly some downs this season. But I have no worry about him from that standpoint and being able to handle it," Beamer said.

Even though the Gamecocks were one of the winners of the transfer portal derby, Beamer said that just adding players doesn't automatically make you a winner.

"I think that's a challenge that every coach in the country is dealing with right now with the transfer portal, is bringing new guys into the program, acclimating them to your program as quick as possible," he said. "We'll have to do that again this year. We're very intentional about that, building a team and doing as much as we can as a team from January up until the start of the season, really throughout the season to continue to build that closeness."

Beamer talked about the importance of bringing "joy" to the program and making sure his players enjoyed coming to the facility every day -- but noted that having the depth to consistently win games helps add to the enjoyment factor.

"When I sat up here last year, I certainly didn't anticipate a month later having our graduate assistant be our starting quarterback. I certainly didn't envision starting four different quarterbacks throughout the season like we did last year because of injuries," he said. "(Depth) certainly makes a difference."

QB: Spencer Rattler (RS-Jr.-TR.; 6-1, 210)

RB: Marshawn Lloyd (RS-So.; 5-9, 212)

WR (X): Josh Vann (Sr.; 5-11, 192)

WR (Z): Antwane Wells (Jr.-TR.; 6-1, 205)

WR (Slot): Dakereon Joyner (RS-Sr.; 6-1, 210)

TE: Austin Stonger (Sr.-TR.; 6-6, 251)

TE: Jaheim Bell (Jr.; 6-3, 230)

LT: Jaylen Nichols (Sr.; 6-5, 322)

LG: Vershon Lee (Jr.; 6-4, 309)

C: Eric Douglas (RS-Sr.; 6-4, 297)
RG: Jovaughn Gwyn (RS-Sr.; 6-3, 300)

RT: Dylan Wonnum (Sr.; 6-5, 305)

DE: Jordan Burch (Jr.; 6-6. 275)

DT: Zacch Pickens (Sr.; 6-4, 305)

DT: Alex Huntley (RS-So.; 6-4, 305)

BUCK: Jordan Strachan (RS-Sr.-TR.; 6-5, 243)

MIKE: Sherrod Greene (RS-Sr.; 6-1, 225)

WILL: Brad Johnson (RS-Sr.; 6-2, 238)

Nickel: Cam Smith (RS-Jr.; 6, 185)

CB: Darius Rush (RS-Sr.; 6-2, 196)

SS: RJ Roderick (Sr.; 6, 207)

FS: Devonni Reed (RS-Sr.-TR.; 5-11, 200)

CB: Marcellas Dial (RS-Jr.-TR.; 6, 190)

Sept. 3: Georgia State

Sept. 10: @Arkansas

Sept. 17: Georgia

Sept. 24: Charlotte

Oct. 1: South Carolina State

Oct. 8: @Kentucky

Oct. 22: Texas A&M

Oct. 29: Missouri

Nov. 12: @Florida

Nov. 19: Tennessee

Nov. 26: @Clemson