One of the Tennessee Vols’ biggest villains from the last several years is entering the 2026 college football season firmly on the hot seat.

Tennessee is 1-2 against Shame Beamer and the South Carolina Gamecocks during the Josh Heupel era (the two teams haven’t played since 2023). The Gamecocks’ win over Tennessee in 2022 — one of the bigger SEC upsets in recent memory — is a game that still haunts Vols fans (especially since South Carolina may have been stealing signals).

Mix in Beamer’s polarizing personality, which often makes him a punching bag for other fan bases, and it’s easy to see why he’s one of the top villains in the Vols fan base.

So it’s not a surprise that some Vols fans are smiling at the fact that Beamer, according to ESPN, is entering the 2026 season on the hot seat after going 4-8 last season.

From ESPN: Beamer loves being at South Carolina and delivered top-25 finishes and wins against rival Clemson in 2022 and 2024. But better performances bring increased investment and expectations, and Beamer is coming off his worst season (4-8 overall, 1-7 SEC) in Columbia. The school stepped up to retain quarterback LaNorris Sellers, defensive end Dylan Stewart and others, and will demand better results this fall. Athletic director Jeremiah Donati did not hire Beamer.

The Vols may have the opportunity get Shane Beamer fired

Tennessee could actually be in a good position to be the team that ends Beamer’s tenure at South Carolina.

The Vols are scheduled to play South Carolina in October 24 in Columbia. The Gamecocks play four SEC teams before playing the Vols (SC opens the season against Kent State and Towson). If South Carolina loses to Tennessee at home to fall to 2-5, it’s very possible, if not likely, that it could be Beamer’s last game as the Gamecocks’ head coach.

Getting Beamer fired wouldn’t erase the pain of the loss to South Carolina in 2022, but it would still be a nice slice of revenge for Vols fans.