ATHENS -- Five years later, Kirby Smart’s coaching tree has taken root and is starting to produce saplings of its own.
The latest is former assistant coach Shane Beamer. Beamer, who has spent the last two seasons as assistant head coach at Oklahoma, was named South Carolina’s new head coach on Monday.
Beamer worked for Smart for two seasons at Georgia as tight ends coach. Beamer left to join Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma after the Bulldogs’ 2017 run to the national championship game.
But Smart’s relationship with Beamer started well before that. The son of legendary head coach Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer, Shane Beamer played golf and hung out with Smart on Lake Oconee, where both families maintained second homes.
Shane Beamer becomes the third Smart assistant to be designated a head coach. Former defensive coordinator Mel Tucker has since accepted jobs at Colorado and Michigan State, where he remains. Former Georgia offensive line coach Sam Pittman was hired as Arkansas’s head coach last December.
“First off, I wouldn’t take credit for that,” Smart said Monday. “Shane’s a good friend of mine and we’ve been good friends for a long time. I certainly appreciate what he did for the university of Georgia while he was here. He worked really hard and really helped shape and build our program. Then he went to Oklahoma and did the same for Lincoln, I’m sure. So, I’m not taking credit for that. He’s earned that opportunity on his own merit.”
Smart is himself a product of the Nick Saban coaching tree. Sixteen of the Alabama coach’s assistants have gone on to become head coaches. Famously, Saban is 24-0 against those former charges, including 3-0 against Smart.
Now Smart will have to go head-to-head against one of his own. The Bulldogs defeated Pittman and the Razorbacks 37-10 in the season opener this year. He has yet to meet Tucker in a game.
As for Beamer, he’s taking over at a division rival in South Carolina. So, Smart effectively will be competing with Beamer all year on the recruiting trail.
Beamer is replacing Will Muschamp, another close Smart friend. Smart was dismissed after the Gamecocks’ Nov. 14 loss to Texas A&M. South Carolina promoted Mike Bobo -- Smart’s best friend – as interim coach. The Gamecocks concluded the season at 2-8 with a 41-18 loss to Kentucky this past Saturday.
Smart was asked if he had any advice for Beamer, who takes over a Power 5 program without any previous head-coaching experience as Smart did five years ago.
“Get comfortable with what you want to do and understand it’s your choice, it’s your decision,” said Smart, who is 50-14 as the Bulldogs’ coach. “For the first time you’re not making some of the decisions; you’re making all of the decisions. I think you’ve got to be comfortable that you’re going to make good ones. Surround yourself with people you trust and who want to be there nad have the same goals and aspirations that you do. That may sound simple, but you can get overwhelmed because of the amount of information pouring in and the amount of people who want jobs and the opportunity to be in the SEC. So you have to sort through all that and make sure you get the right fit.”
On that note, don’t be surprised if Beamer comes calling on some of Georgia’s staff members. Particularly desirable will be young coaches looking for an elevated status at an SEC program. The Bulldogs have several coaches who fit that bill among Smart’s current assistants and certainly within the support staff.
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