There's no doubt about it; Shane Beamer has his work cut out for him in Columbia. When you factor in the cumulative experiences of how Spurrier left, the Muschamp era (error?), and a culture rife with infighting between fans and players, this is not a quick fix.
The good news is recent history offers some clues as to just how long it takes to turn things around, if the right hire is made.
So how long will it take?
I took to various search engines to compile a list of notable college football programs that recently were in need of a positive change, who then experienced that bounce back in an effort to get an answer to this question. I looked at Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Indiana, North Carolina, Notre Dame, and Texas A&M.
First, we must define what it means to "bounce back" at each football program, because the definition of success for one could mean failure for another.
Bounce Back definition by school
Alabama - SEC Champion
Clemson - ACC Champion (definition of a successful season when Dabo was hired)
Florida - SEC Championship Game Appearance
Indiana - making a bowl game
North Carolina - A top 15 team
Notre Dame - A national contender
Texas A&M - a top 10 team
And finally, I'll define a bounce back for South Carolina as an 8-4 season.
Now that we've established what it means to "bounce back," let's see how long it's taken these successful coaches of the above institutions to do just that.
1.) Nick Saban (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 7-6
Year 2: 12-2
Year 3: National Champion
2.) Dabo Swinney (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 9-4
Year 2: 6-7
Year 3: 10-4 (ACC Champion)
3.) Dan Mullen (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 10-3
Year 2: 11-2
Year 3: 8-1 (SEC Eastern Division Champions)
4.) Tom Allen (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 5-7
Year 2: 5-7
Year 3: 8-5 (bowl game)
5.) Mack Brown
Year 1: 7-6
Year 2: 7-3
Year 3: ???? (On track for a season 3 bounce back)
6.) Brian Kelly (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 8-5
Year 2: 8-5
Year 3: 12-2 (National Championship Game)
7.) Jimbo Fisher (bounce back in season 3)
Year 1: 9-4
Year 2: 8-5
Year 3: 7-1 (Easily a top 10 team)
Unbelievably, every single one of the above coaches has bounced back or is on track to do so in their third season. That's some pretty solid evidence. So how long will it take Gamecock fans to know if Beamer is the guy? How long should it take him to finish 8-4 and turn around the 2-8 of this season?
It's as easy as one, two, three.