[6] In 1995, Beamer chose to walk on as a wide receiver at Virginia Tech—where his father was head coach—over an offer of a partial scholarship from Division I-AA Charleston Southern.

[10] Following Beamer's playing career, he became a graduate assistant at Georgia Tech under George O'Leary for one season (2000), helping with the quarterbacks and wide receivers.

He helped with the cornerbacks, assisted in all special teams areas, and oversaw game opponent scouting.

Beamer both recruited and coached running back Anthony Dixon, who would go on to play for the San Francisco 49ers and the Buffalo Bills.

[12][10] On February 14, 2007, Beamer was hired by Steve Spurrier at the University of South Carolina to coach outside linebackers and to serve as the special teams coordinator.

[15] In 2009 and 2010, Beamer also served as the recruiting coordinator for the Gamecocks, "setting the foundation for the most successful run in school history".

[10] The 2009 class was ranked 12th best in the nation by Scout.com and Rivals.com and included future NFL Draft picks Stephon Gillmore and Alshon Jeffery.

[15] Both the 2010 and 2011 recruiting classes ranked in the top 25 and included future South Carolina stars and NFL players Marcus Lattimore and Connor Shaw.

The information was provided by Demon Deacons radio analyst Tommy Elrod, a former Wake Forest player and assistant coach who was at the center of what became the "WakeyLeaks" scandal.

Beamer denies providing the information to the coaching staff or players but was fined $25,000 by Georgia for his part in the scandal.

[21] On January 5, 2016, days after his father's retirement, Beamer was hired by the University of Georgia to serve on Kirby Smart's staff as the tight ends coach and special teams coordinator.

[22][23] He coached several future NFL talents during his stint in Athens, including placekicker Rodrigo Blankenship and tight end Charlie Woerner.

On January 22, 2018, weeks after Georgia defeated them in the Rose Bowl, the University of Oklahoma hired Beamer to be assistant head coach under Lincoln Riley.

During the three seasons that Beamer was a part of the staff, the Sooners won three Big 12 Championships and appeared in two College Football Playoffs.

[26][27] Shane Beamer, still an assistant at Oklahoma, was considered one of the top candidates to replace Muschamp, alongside active head coaches such as Hugh Freeze and Billy Napier.

[28][29] South Carolina athletic director Ray Tanner announced that the school had hired Shane Beamer as its 36th head coach on December 6, 2020.

We're still a work in progress, but we took a big step tonight.”[38][39] South Carolina won only one of its next three games, a comeback underdog victory at home against Auburn, finishing the regular season 6–6 and achieving bowl eligibility.

The video of this happening went viral and resulted in a lot of publicity and positive buzz for South Carolina's football program.

[10] Beamer was named the winner of the Steve Spurrier National First-Year Coach Award, alongside Josh Heupel from Tennessee.

[2] It was only the seventh time in history that a school had defeated AP top-10 opponents in consecutive weeks as an unranked team, and the first since 2003.

[62] Prior to the bowl game, Beamer's offensive coordinator since his inaugural season, Marcus Satterfield, left to become an assistant at Nebraska.

Despite a lack of success in the NFL as an offensive coordinator, Beamer hired Dowell Loggains from Arkansas to replace Satterfield.

Early in the third quarter, ESPN gave South Carolina a 61.9% chance to win, but the Gamecocks could not hold onto the lead.

By the end of this losing streak, the largest in Beamer's career, the team was noted for its injuries, particularly on the offensive line.

[77][78][79][80] The most frustrating loss in this stretch was against Florida, blowing a 10-point fourth quarter lead at home, after which Beamer received media attention for breaking his foot.

Despite finishing the regular season 5–7, South Carolina still had a "longshot chance" to be selected for a bowl game, but this did not occur.

[84] South Carolina finished the 2023 season with a record of 5–7, missing a bowl game for the first time in Beamer's tenure.

The Gamecocks lost to the Tigers 36–33, with many, including industry professionals citing questionable officiating as the reason for the loss.

[94] Following a win over Akron and losses to ranked opponents in Ole Miss and Alabama, the Gamecocks were 3–3 and were predicted to lose their upcoming road game against Oklahoma.

This included three straight wins over ranked opponents, making Beamer the first head coach in program history to accomplish that feat.