Dabo Swinney extended some empathy for rival coach Shane Beamer after Clemson took down South Carolina 28–14 on Saturday. The game marked the disappointing resolution of the Gamecocks’ season, which saw them finish 4–8.
South Carolina went into the 2025 season ranked No. 13 and coming off a promising 9–4 campaign a year ago. They proved unable to build off those efforts, instead doubling their loss total from 2024 and failing to qualify for a bowl game. Their season culminated with a loss to their in-state rivals, only adding to the sour taste this year has produced.
After the game, Swinney was seen extending support to Beamer’s family, sharing a hug with his wife and son.
“I’ve got a lot of respect for Shane and what he’s done here,” Swinney said after the game. “My heart hurts for him and Emily because I’ve been on the other side of it. But I’m proud of our guys.”
Swinney also stuck up for Beamer by recalling some of the ups and downs his own Clemson teams have undergone during his tenure. “All I can tell you, Shane’s good football coach, better person, and he cares,” Swinney said. “I think these are reactionary games where you can really overreact. I lost five in a row, and we were really good teams. And again, we had 15 turnovers to their three. And that was a bad run. But we were a good team, and they were a good team, but you hang in. I’m glad that Clemson people didn’t give up on me.”
Dabo Swinney was asked about what his message would be to South Carolina fans frustrated with Shane Beamer's first five seasons in Columbia: "I'm glad Clemson people didn't give up on me." pic.twitter.com/louYaKVz4Y
— Clemson Sports (@ClemsonSports) November 29, 2025
Beamer addressed his team’s shortcomings as well on Saturday following their loss. He said earlier this month that next year South Carolina will be tuning in to the College Football Playoff rankings show to see where they land, and has doubled down that next year will prove much more successful.
“I hate that we’ve gone through this,” Beamer said. “I hate it for the seniors that don’t come back. But I can one billion percent promise you this. When we have a hell of a season in 2026 and when I’m doing this press conference after the Clemson game next year and we finished a regular season because of the success that we're going to have next season, I know we will. We’re going to look back at this season and say, ‘It sucked going through it, but because of what we went through in ’25, it led us to what we just did in ’26.’”
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Dabo Swinney Had Classy Words for Shane Beamer After Clemson Beat South Carolina.
