South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema nearly got into a full-on fistfight in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl on Wednesday evening.
Shane Beamer’s Gamecocks are looking to end 2024 on a high note after posting a superb 9-3 regular season record that saw them fall just short of the 12-team College Football Playoff. And let’s just say that he’ll never forget today’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, regardless of the outcome.
Late in the third quarter, Illinois defensive back Jaheim Clarke was being looked at after getting banged up on a play. As personnel looked at Clarke, the two teams exchanged some tense words that led to Beamer getting into it with Bielema:
COACH BOWL BEEF BETWEEN SHANE BEAMER AND BRET BIELEMA
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 31, 2024
pic.twitter.com/fW63tDCFP4
It appears that Shane Beamer didn’t appreciate Brett Bielema taunting him with a substitution signal during the stoppage:
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema taunted Shane Beamer with the substitution signal.
— Jordan Kaye (@jordankaye_23) December 31, 2024
Beamer almost went after him pic.twitter.com/qBoZZQxIxZ
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You don’t see heated altercations like that between coaches every day. Anyone else looking forward to what they both have to say after the game?
Shane Beamer Wraps Up Fourth Year With South Carolina
Tonight’s bowl game marks the conclusion of Beamer’s fourth season as head coach of the Gamecocks. 2024 marks their third winning season in four years under his leadership, and nobody should be surprised if another extension (his current real runs through 2027) is on the way.
