College football coach calls criticism of starting QB's golf internship 'a joke'

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COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina college football coach Shane Beamer can't wait to talk about football.

"Tired of talking season, as Coach (Steve) Spurrier used to call it," Beamer said Aug. 25. "Tired of talking about our quarterbacks' class schedule. I can't wait till next week and we can actually talk about football and playing games."

Beamer's frustration refers to social media chatter and backlash following a press conference from Aug. 18 where starting quarterback LaNorris Sellers said he is interning at a local golf center this semester and is all done with his classes.

"I think it's absolutely ridiculous any kind of criticism that LaNorris Sellers took last week about an internship in his last semester of college," Beamer said. "The same people out there that are criticizing that failed to report that he's been on the dean's list four times as a student, primarily taking in-person classes, failed to report that he has a chance to be an academic All-American, not academic all-conference, academic all-American, and that he's about to graduate from South Carolina."

Sellers said he is doing "facility management and stuff like that, cutting grass and picking up balls" at Par Tee Golf Center, not far from campus. His major requires a practicum and an internship to graduate, which he is on track to do in December.

Last summer he interned with Contract Construction in Irmo. Sellers has said that architecture and engineering are two of his interests outside of football, as is golf.

"I'm going to defend our players at all times," Beamer said. "That's a joke that anybody would criticize his class schedule and what he's taken in his final semester of college when he needs one class to graduate. So I hope he goes and has a hell of a time at the driving range and hits 1,000 balls and does a good job over there because he's earned it."

This season marks the third year that the 6-foot-3, 240-pound Sellers has led Beamer's offense but he's been in the program for four. His freshman year in 2023, he played behind Spencer Rattler before winning the quarterback battle the following season when Rattler left for the NFL.

Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky ‪@bylulukesin.bsky.social‬

This article originally appeared on Greenville News: College football coach calls criticism of starting QB's golf internship 'a joke'

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