Beamer Preempts Injury Questions, Offers Updates on Stewart, Peak, and Kicker Sanchez / sportsearchers.com

South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer got ahead of the recurring question at his September 15 press conference, opening with an update on Dylan Stewart and Jacarrius Peak before reporters could even ask: “I’ll save you a question, we have an injury report that we put out on Wednesday nights per SEC policy, so we’ll have a report or an update on injuries (Sept. 16), so don’t want you to waste your time asking.”

SEC Injury Reporting Requirements

Under conference policy, teams must submit injury reports ahead of each SEC game, released Wednesdays at 8:10 p.m. ET, with updates following on Thursdays, Fridays, and game-day mornings. This comes as South Carolina (2-0) prepares to open SEC play against Mississippi State (2-0) on September 19 at 4:15 p.m. ET on SEC Network.

Stewart and Peak’s Injury Timelines

Stewart injured his back midway through last season and spent the entire spring and summer recovering, while Peak, who joined the team from NC State, hurt his knee playing basketball during a team event in February. Beamer confirmed both returned to full contact in full pads at practice as of September 8, though neither played in the Week 2 win over Towson. Stewart hasn’t played in a game since November 29, and Peak hasn’t played since December 19.

Why Peak Matters

Despite freshman Darius Gray performing well filling in at left tackle through two games, Peak’s arrival was a significant addition — he entered as the second-ranked tackle in 247Sports’ portal rankings. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers spoke highly of Peak’s competitive edge, revealing a personal connection to his arrival: “He’s a good player. I watched the tape when he was in the portal, went with Beamer and picked him up from the airport so I mean, I know the kind of guy he is… he’s just a competitor so I look forward to that, if he plays.”

On Easing Injured Players Back

Asked about the process of reintegrating players after extended absences, Beamer explained his approach centers on practice intensity: “Let’s see what they do in practice leading into the game. Certainly games are different than practices but we try to make our practices harder than the games with the tempo, where the games are hopefully easier, regardless of who the opponent is, but yeah, there’s a ramp up, and that ramp up starts in practice.”

Kicker Ethan Sanchez Remains Unavailable

South Carolina added former Houston kicker Ethan Sanchez on September 3, but he has yet to appear in a game. Beamer indicated the delay involves ongoing clarity issues rather than a simple health matter: “He’s not able to play. We’re trying to get a little bit more clarity on some things and working through that. So optimistic he’ll be able to play here as we go forward, but didn’t feel comfortable putting him in the game last Saturday. That’s why he wasn’t dressed. But like I said, we’re working through that, and hopefully we’ll get a little bit more clarity on that.”

The Eligibility Backstory

Sanchez was among a group of players granted a temporary restraining order by a Dallas judge on August 27, allowing for a fifth year of eligibility. He had previously attended a minicamp with the San Francisco 49ers but, per Beamer, “never signed anything” with the NFL team. Beamer confirmed the necessary approvals were secured before adding Sanchez to the roster: “We’ve obviously cleared it with the SEC that they would be OK with it, as well as my bosses and our administration, and everyone signed off on it today, including the SEC.”

Kicking Situation Remains Unsettled

In Sanchez’s continued absence, Max Kelley has handled placekicking duties, though without much consistency — he had no field goal attempts in Week 1, then went 1-of-2 in Week 2, missing from 45 yards while connecting from 33.