Swinney, Beamer, Beck advocate for S.C. NIL bill
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney, South Carolina football coach Shane Beamer and Coastal Carolina football coach Tim Beck all came together at the Statehouse to urge lawmakers to pass a law allowing their schools to directly compensate their athletes.
The call for name, image and likeness legislation came Tuesday in a South Carolina House education committee hearing. It passed unanimously after the committee started the meeting with a group photo — coaches in the front and lawmakers in the back. The bill now goes to the House floor; the Senate hasn’t taken up the matter yet.
The three football coaches were joined by more than a dozen from other sports. They packed the hearing room, and South Carolina women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley and men’s basketball coach Lamont Paris prowled the halls of the House’s office building to meet with legislators before the meeting started.
The bill would overhaul a law passed a few years ago when name, image and likeness laws were just starting. It would allow universities to work with companies or others who want to make NIL offers. The school could also evaluate the deals and give advice to athletes. It is similar to proposals in other states that also are trying to go around the NCAA.
“We have been limited in our NIL involvement through the ever-changing guidance from the NCAA, and that has left our student-athletes trying to figure out much of this on their own — navigating complex NIL opportunities without trained guidance,” Swinney told the committee.
Beamer thanked lawmakers for their consideration, saying passing the bill was vital to keep teams in the state competitive. Republican House Education and Public Works Committee chair Shannon Erickson, of Beaufort, rattled off the nearly dozen national titles won by coaches at the meeting or seen earlier in the day in football, women’s basketball, men’s soccer, equestrian and baseball.
“It is something we deal with daily. It is also ever-changing, daily. This law would give us stability and flexibility,” Beamer said.
The bill is also needed for lesser-known, smaller teams, Coastal Carolina women’s basketball coach Kevin Pederson said.
On his team, one player gets a few smoothies through her deal and a second gets bathing suits. The law would allow the school to work for better deals for all.
“They need an advocate who loves them the way I love them. They need an advocate who will push for them the way I push for them,” Pederson said.
The outcome was certain before the gavel came down to open the meeting. Republican Rep. April Cromer from Anderson walked up to Swinney and shook his hand.
“This might not have been necessary. We were going to pass it anyway,” she said as Swinney, Beamer and Beck all laughed.
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Max Olson
San Jose State wide receiver Danny Scudero, the leading receiver in FBS this season, will enter the NCAA transfer portal when it opens in January, he announced Friday.
The 5-foot-9, 174-pound redshirt sophomore caught 88 passes for 1,291 yards and 10 touchdowns in his first season with the Spartans, becoming a semifinal for the Biletnikoff Award and earning first-team All-Mountain West honors.
Scudero is expected to be one of the more coveted wide receivers available when the transfer portal officially opens on Jan. 2 and has two more seasons of eligibility remaining.
Scudero spent two years at Sacramento State before transferring to San Jose State after the 2024 season. He broke out with 189 receiving yards to open the season against Central Michigan and surpassed 100 yards in five more games, including a career-high 215 and two touchdowns against Hawaii.
Scudero’s 88 receptions ranked fourth-most in FBS, and he leads all receivers this season with 16 catches of 30 or more yards.
The Spartans produced the No. 14 passing offense in FBS this season but went 3-9 in their second year under coach Ken Niumatalolo.
North Carolina offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens and special teams coordinator Mike Priefer will not return next season, with the school announcing the departure of both assistants after a 4-8 season in Bill Belichick’s college coaching debut.
“We want to thank Coach Kitchens and Coach Priefer for their commitment and many contributions to our program and student-athletes,” Belichick said in a statement. “We wish them both nothing but the best in their future endeavors.”
North Carolina’s offense was one of the worst in the country, ranking 119th in the FBS in scoring (19.3 PPG) and 129th in total offense (288.8 YPG).
The Tar Heels had special teams issues coming down the stretch too, notably with Duke running a fake field goal to set up a late winning touchdown and NC State successfully running a fake punt for a first down the following week.
Kitchens, who served as Cleveland Browns coach in 2019, had been with the Tar Heels since 2023 and was the interim coach for their Fenway Bowl loss at the end of the 2024 season. Belichick was hired as the new head coach earlier that month.
Priefer was a longtime NFL special teams coach who followed Belichick to Chapel Hill but lasted just one season on the job.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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