While Shane Beamer insists he doesn’t want to make South Carolina’s Week 1 matchup about himself, there’s no denying the personal significance of facing Virginia Tech.
The Gamecocks’ head coach, son of legendary Hokies coach Frank Beamer, grew up in Blacksburg and spent much of his life around the Virginia Tech program — first as a player and later as an assistant coach. His family will be in attendance when South Carolina takes on Virginia Tech at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
“It’s special to be going up against a program I grew up around,” Beamer told SiriusXM College Sports Radio. “There are still so many people involved with Virginia Tech who were teammates of mine in college or have been part of the program for years. From that standpoint, it’s neat. It’s also a lot of fun for my parents, and I know it means a lot to them.”
Still, Beamer made it clear his attention remains on preparing his team.
“My focus is on South Carolina and making sure we’re ready to play our best football that Sunday,” he said. “I’ve got a ton of respect for Virginia Tech. It’ll be a big challenge, no doubt. It’s exciting, but once the game starts, it comes down to the 22 guys on the field.”
South Carolina and Virginia Tech will kick off on Aug. 31 at 3 p.m. ET, with the game airing on ESPN.
Leave a Reply