The rivalry between the Clemson Tigers and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks doesn’t just lie in the football game and traditions, it’s also a battle on the sidelines. Each head coach continues to shape the future of their programs, but the question remains: Which coaches set the standard?
Coaching success for both universities spans across multiple sports. From Dabo Swinney’s “All In” mentality to Dawn Staley’s storied success, they shape the athletic programs fans love.
Football
Starting with Clemson football, Swinney is in his 17th season with the Tigers. As soon as Swinney took over the Clemson football program, he started to transform the team into a national powerhouse.
The Tigers have taken home two national championships in 2016 and 2018 under Swinney and have made six College Football Playoff appearances from the years 2015 to 2020. He has the ability to recruit top talent from all positions and to focus on his players, building a connection.
Many NFL draft picks come from under Swinney, especially quarterbacks, including Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence. In the 2024 NFL draft, six Tigers were selected. Clemson’s consistency stems from Swinney’s program concentrated on family, faith and hard work. The success has been shown through his winning ACC coach of the year in 2015 and 2018, in addition to other accolades on the national and divisional levels. Swinney continues to solidify his place among college football’s top coaches.
Looking at the Gamecocks’ football program, Shane Beamer has quickly established himself as an admirable coach. Beamer was named head coach in 2020 after continuous losing seasons. In just his second full season, Beamer led South Carolina to an 8-4 record, the first winning season since 2018.
Even though Clemson has 73 wins against South Carolina, Beamer was able to pull off an upset in 2022. He led the Gamecocks to defeat Clemson to close out the regular season and also upset Tennessee to bring the team into national recognition.
Under Beamer, South Carolina appeared in two bowl games in 2021 and 2022, an encouraging sign for the program’s future. With it still being early in his career at South Carolina, he has built up their defense, bringing in high-profile recruits and transfers while developing a team atmosphere, even guiding Spencer Rattler to the NFL a season ago.
In 2022, Beamer received multiple coach of the year nominations while he continued to turn the Gamecocks into a force in the SEC.
Basketball
Dawn Staley wasn’t just an amazing basketball player but is also a coaching legend in women’s basketball at South Carolina. Staley has built the Gamecocks into a dominant force that can not be stopped. The team is currently the reigning national champions after securing the title in 2017 and 2022 as well. Staley has been a Gamecock since 2008 and reached 20 postseasons, making her team one of the most well rounded in the country.
As her time as head coach continues, Staley has seen her Gamecocks ranked in the AP Top 25 every week since December 2012. Over her last 16 seasons, Staley was named national coach of the year four times and was unanimously selected in 2020 for the Naismith Coach of the Year Award.
Many of her players are selected for various honors, and many are drafted to the WNBA, just like A’ja Wilson and Aliyah Boston. She has built a program that is known for its excellence, player development and community involvement, making South Carolina the place for women’s collegiate basketball.
In contrast, Shawn Poppie is new to the Tigers; he was named head coach of the women’s basketball team in April.
As of late, Clemson has struggled, with the team failing to place higher than seventh in the ACC standings over the last six years and ending last season with a 5-13 record.
Poppie is an experienced coach who has had many achievements before coming to Clemson. Just last year, he was named the 2023-2024 Southern Conference Coach of the Year. Previously, Poppie led the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga to two consecutive Southern Conference championships.
In the first four games of the season, any Clemson fan can see the impact he has made. The team has won three of the four, falling only to the Gamecocks.
Though Poppie doesn’t have the team history, he is ready to lead the Tigers into a new era.
Soccer
As soon as Mike Noonan became Clemson’s men’s soccer head coach, the program gained public attention. In recent years, Noonan and the Tigers won the national championship in 2021 and 2023.
Currently in his 14th season, he has led the Tigers to compete at the highest level. Together, the team has only missed the NCAA Tournament once since 2013. Over the past nine seasons, he has had 29 players selected in the MLS SuperDraft. Clemson had three selections in each of the last five MLS SuperDrafts, the only team to do so, thanks to Noonan making Clemson a top tier team.
Noonan has also played a pivotal role in helping players achieve recognition, including Ousmane Sylla winning the 2023 MAC Hermann Trophy.
Across the Palmetto state, South Carolina’s men’s soccer team has Tony Annan in charge, who received the position in 2021. Annan has a proven track record, spending the prior six years at Atlanta United and playing a crucial role in building the club’s academy into one of the most successful in the MLS.
As a coach, Annan has an extreme ability for players’ skill development, resulting in 80 of his former players earning college scholarships. At South Carolina, Annan is bringing that experience to build a competitive program, ready to recruit and develop players. Annan’s tenure at South Carolina aims to elevate the program.
As the rivalry between Clemson and South Carolina continues to build before the big game, the Tigers’ head coach is leading their programs with unmatched successes, while the Gamecocks are on the rise.
