Episode Details

On today’s episode of Locked On Gamecocks, we react to Illinois head coach Bret Bielema’s comments at Big Ten Media Days and ask a simple question: Why does South Carolina continue to live rent-free in his head?

More than a year after Illinois defeated the Gamecocks in the 2024 bowl game, Bielema is still bringing up the SEC and his victory over Shane Beamer. Chris breaks down Bielema’s history in the SEC at Arkansas, his struggles against conference competition and why his continued shots at the league are so strange considering his own experience coaching in it.

But that’s only the beginning.

We also respond to one of the wildest South Carolina football takes of the offseason: “You coach at South Carolina to get fired.”

Is that actually true? The history says otherwise.

We look at South Carolina’s surprisingly low coaching turnover compared with programs like Auburn, Florida, Tennessee and Arkansas, and discuss why the perception surrounding the Gamecocks doesn’t always match reality.

With Shane Beamer entering a massive 2026 season, LaNorris Sellers returning at quarterback and fall camp right around the corner, South Carolina continues to attract plenty of national attention — even when the Gamecocks aren’t asking for it.

Why does South Carolina keep catching strays? Is Bielema obsessed with the SEC? And is the national perception of the Gamecocks completely disconnected from reality?

Subscribe to Locked On Gamecocks for daily South Carolina Gamecocks football news, recruiting updates, analysis and everything you need heading into the 2026 college football season.

Topics: South Carolina Football, Bret Bielema, Shane Beamer, Big Ten Media Days, SEC Football, Gamecocks Football, LaNorris Sellers, Illinois Football, South Carolina Gamecocks, 2026 College Football

#SouthCarolina #Gamecocks #SouthCarolinaFootball #ShaneBeamer #BretBielema #SEC #SECfootball #CollegeFootball #LockedOnGamecocks

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