Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops raised some eyebrows this week when he asked his fanbase to give more money for NIL following the Wildcats’ loss to Georgia last weekend.
“Fans have that right (to complain). I just encourage them to donate more, because that’s what those dudes are doing,” Stoops said Monday, via On3. “I give it to them. I just encourage them to donate more, because that’s what those dudes are doing. I can promise you Georgia, they bought some pretty good players. You’re allowed to these days. We could use some help.”
South Carolina’s Shane Beamer was asked Tuesday about Stoops’ remarks, and the third-year head coach indicated he “hears what he [Stoops] is saying.”
“I can’t speak for his program. I can’t speak for the Georgia program, but NIL is certainly a major factor, not just in college football, but all across college athletics in every sport,” Beamer told reporters.
Beamer went on to say that fundraising for NIL is something he and the South Carolina program will have to “be active” in.
“I want what’s best for our players,” Beamer said. “I’ll make every phone call and speak to every group I possibly can when it comes to raising money for our guys from an NIL standpoint.”
Beamer added that he’s worked with the Garnet Trust, South Carolina’s Official NIL Collective, filming promotional videos for the group after games this year.
“Whether you agree with NIL, or don’t agree with NIL, if you want to win at the highest level and you want to win championships like we do here at Carolina, we’re going to have to be very active from a collective standpoint,” Beamer said. “That is the Garnet Trust for us. We’ve got some people who have done some great things for our student-athletes and I’m thankful for them, but frankly we need more of them.”
After an 8-5 season and Gator Bowl appearance in 2022, Beamer’s Gamecocks are off to a 2-3 start to this campaign.
South Carolina had a bye last weekend and will return to the gridiron to host Florida this Saturday.