South Carolina's Oscar Adaway saw a clip of Shane Beamer running around the Long Family Operations Center. From then on, he knew he wanted to play for him.
South Carolina running back Oscar Adaway III, then playing for the North Texas Mean Green, scrolled social media on his way to class one day. There, he came across a video that stood out to him.
Back in 2023, South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer ran around the Cyndi and Kenneth Long Family Football Operations Center in a spoof based on the hit NBC sitcom “The Office”.
In the video, Beamer ran by a radar speed sign at 13 miles per hour. One of his players, Juju McDowell, then gave it a shot and clocked in at 14 mph, provoking Beamer to request a redo. He then ran alongside a moving car at 31 mph. It’s a playful scene that still gets talked about to this day.
After that moment, Adaway knew Beamer was a guy he wanted to play for.
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“Like, what a guy, right?” said Adaway, who transferred to South Carolina in 2024. “And so when I got here, he’s everything that I thought he was. So, I wanted to build that relationship with him.”
The story of Adaway’s reaction to the video is something Beamer has heard from somewhere, although the fifth-year head coach couldn’t pinpoint exactly when. Regardless, his love for the running back is strong.
“I love Oscar,” Beamer said. “… I appreciate him saying that. It’s pretty cool to hear. And then just the relationship with him, he’s a wise old soul. I mean, he’s an older guy that has seen it all and has worked really, really hard.”
In his first season with the Gamecocks, Adaway was the backup running back behind fellow transfer Rocket Sanders. He ran for 295 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries.
Many times, Beamer has described Adaway as being one of the key leaders of the team. But his leadership and experience in college football go well beyond the field. He currently serves as the Chair of the SEC Football Leadership Council.
Adaway’s seventh season has the potential to pay off with the back topping the depth chart. Regardless of the way things shake out, he prepares like the starter.
“I attack every year like it’s my last. I attack like I’m gonna get those carries in the preseason, regular season, summer, spring,” Adaway said. “Like, I attack it all like that just so I can be prepared for it.”
At the end of the day, Adaway is just happy to be a Gamecock.
“It’s a blessing and an honor, you know, just to come out here and run football for the University of South Carolina,” Adaway said. “Like, it’s different, you know, running for that ‘C’ with a Gamecock in the middle of it. Like, I want to give it all. My 130 percent, 127 percent, everything.”
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Category: General Sports
