There’s only so many true ways to really judge a football team. That’s through wins and losses and the product shown on the field.

But there are also other opportunities, not only limited to game action, where teams can show what they’re about.

After a 5-7 season last year, not everyone is super high on South Carolina in 2024. Not as much as they were heading into last season after the Gamecocks won eight games in 2022. The media picked them to finish 13th in the SEC standings for this upcoming season.

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From his vantage point, Shane Beamer knows last year was a disappointment. But more than a week removed from speaking at SEC Media Days in Dallas, he hopes people can see the potential in what the Gamecocks can bring to the table.

“I would hope that the message that came out from myself and the three players that were with me in Dallas last week is just the confidence we have right now in this team, the hunger that this team has, the joy that a lot of these guys have about being a part of this program, and how eager we are to get started,” said the fourth-year head coach at his annual Birdies with Beamer event on Thursday.

While in Dallas last week, Beamer fielded many questions about what’s going to change this year. He recognized why some aren’t bought into South Carolina in 2024. But that doesn’t really impact his thinking on what his team could do.

“I think that event’s always tough because I see you guys pretty much every week,” Beamer said. “But there’s a lot of guys that have not heard a thing that I’ve said since January, or really probably since November in a lot of ways. So it’s more of just kind of an update and here’s what’s going on in Columbia.”

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For 2024, Las Vegas has set the over/under for South Carolina wins at 5.5. The schedule is certainly tough, but it always is, especially in the SEC and with Oklahoma and Texas joining the conference.

Regardless of how anyone views South Carolina, Beamer still believes he has the team in place to get the job done. He harped on this last week in Dallas and continues to do so as the season approaches.

“We don’t base our decisions and our narrative based on what anyone on the outside thinks,” Beamer said. “There’s a confidence and hunger in our building. I think our guys are very eager to get to work and get out there and start competing on Aug. 1.”