BATON ROUGE, La. — South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer made one of the toughest decisions of his tenure early Sunday morning, parting ways with offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley just hours after the Gamecocks’ 20-10 loss to LSU. The move marks Beamer’s first midseason coaching change since taking over the program five seasons ago.
Teasley, who had been in his third year in the role, was replaced by run game coordinator and tight ends coach Shawn Elliott, who will now serve as the interim offensive line coach for the remainder of the season.
“This isn’t a scapegoat because we didn’t perform well enough offensively,” Beamer explained. “Big picture, I didn’t think we were progressing or getting the most out of that unit. There were too many self-inflicted mistakes that kept showing up, and I felt the best thing was to see if we could get a new spark and a new voice in there.”
According to Beamer, the decision came after a sleepless night of reflection. He said he called athletic director Jeremiah Donati at 4:18 a.m. ET to confirm support for the move before meeting personally with Teasley. Beamer later addressed the offensive line group privately, followed by Elliott.
“Lonnie is a fantastic coach, a fantastic person, and has an unbelievable family,” Beamer said. “These decisions aren’t easy, but looking at the overall body of work, I felt the best decision for our team was to make a change.”
The firing came after another frustrating performance from South Carolina’s offensive front. The Gamecocks (3-3, 1-3 SEC) committed six pre-snap penalties against LSU, five of them coming from the offensive line. It’s a recurring problem that has haunted the team all season. Beamer acknowledged that injuries have disrupted continuity, but still felt the need for change.
“This is not ‘make a change and Lonnie is our fall guy,’” Beamer emphasized. “Everyone on our offensive staff needs to be better. But I think a new voice and a different personality could bring a new message and a new way to coach it.”
South Carolina’s offensive line woes have been a storyline dating back to last season. Against LSU, quarterback LaNorris Sellers was sacked five times for a loss of 55 yards. Sellers currently ranks second in the SEC in sacks taken (19), behind only Auburn’s Jackson Arnold. Last season, then-quarterback Spencer Rattler was sacked 40 times, ranking fifth nationally.
“We haven’t been good enough at protecting the quarterback, and that’s a trend we need to fix,” Beamer said bluntly.
Despite the struggles on the field, Teasley was considered a strong recruiter. His track record includes landing five-star offensive lineman Darius Gray, along with multiple four-star prospects and a key portal addition in Rodney Newsom Jr.
Beamer admitted Teasley’s recruiting prowess made the decision even harder. “It’s a concern, no doubt,” he said. “Lonnie was an excellent recruiter. But I have to think about what’s best for the team heading into 2025.”
Beamer said he personally reached out to recruits, their parents, and high school coaches to inform them of the decision before they heard it elsewhere.
“It’s important that they hear it from us,” Beamer said. “We’re moving forward, and this is about making sure we give this team every opportunity to finish strong.”
