Shane Beamer Says The Energy Was Great To Open Gamecock Spring Drills

South Carolina is going through its first spring practice under new head coach Shane Beamer, and it's been a different feel from where the Gamecocks have been in the previous five seasons under Will Muschamp.

Muschamp has close to a decade of head coaching experience, while Beamer is getting his first crack as the leading man. Change can be good, however, and the son of former legendary coach Frank Beamer is excited about his team.

In fact, he thinks the energy to open up spring drills has been great.

"First of all, the energy was great," head coach Shane Beamer, via The Big Spur. "It was awesome being out here. Having a chance to get back out on the field with the guys and doing what we love was awesome. And honestly, I was really impressed with - and it's a credit to our staff - the efficiency and organization. It didn't look like we didn't know what we were doing. It was really crisp and the effort was good. Obviously, there's a lot to clean up, but we're excited to be back out here."

If you're Beamer, that's about as good as you can hope for.

There's a reason a change was made in the first place. The talent and overall product on the field hasn't lived up to South Carolina standards, so those are some of the first things that need to be fixed. Before that can happen, a change of attitude and approach is needed.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come from South Carolina.

Beamer and the rest of the coaching staff will have their work cut out for them, however. Quarterback is a question mark, and losing NFL talents such as Shi Smith and Sadarius Hutcherson and Jaycee Horn and Israel Mukuamu from the defensive secondary will also hurt.

Finding the talent to replace those guys won't be easy, but the Gamecocks just need to take one step at a time. Beamer certainly believes that they are taking that first step.

Follow Clint Lamb on Twitter @ClintRLamb.