South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers Praised for Classy Postgame Gesture to Frank Beamer

With one until the start of the 2025 NFL season, it meant that college football took center stage on Sunday, Aug. 31, with two high-profile matchups. The first matchup featured the Virginia Tech Hokies taking on the No. 13 South Carolina Gamecocks in a game played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA. While both teams struggled offensively for much of the first three quarters, South Carolina took a 10-8 lead into the fourth quarter.

After Virginia Tech made a field goal to cut it to a one-possession game with nine minutes remaining, less than a minute and a half later, LaNorris Sellers struck. The Gamecocks quarterback hit wide receiver Nyck Harbor in stride for a perfect 64-yard touchdown to stretch the lead back to double-digits.

As impressive as Sellers’ performance was on Sunday, it was what he did after the game that drew high praise.

LaNorris Sellers Gives Game Ball to Legendary Virginia Tech Coach Frank Beamer South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (16) drops back to pass during the AFLAC Kickoff Game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Among those in attendance for the two teams’ opening game of the 2025 college football season was Virginia Tech’s longtime coach Frank Beamer. The man who created “Beamerball,” which highlighted his teams' ability to make big plays, spent his entire head coaching career at Virginia Tech, leading the team for 29 years from 1987 to 2015.

The Beamer-led Hokies were ranked in the top-25 at one point during every season from 1993 through 2014, and he led the school to a postseason bowl game for 23 consecutive years.

The respect for Beamer is widely known across the college football landscape, and South Carolina’s 20-year-old quarterback made sure to give his own unique tip of the cap to the legendary Hokies coach on Sunday. After the game, Sellers found Beamer, shook his hand, and, in a classy moment, gave him the game ball.

LaNorris Sellers gave the game ball to Frank Beamer 🥹 pic.twitter.com/MYLhKI3ehQ

— ESPN (@espn) August 31, 2025

It was an impressive show of respect from Sellers, who earned the game ball after throwing for 209 yards on 12-of-19 attempts and one touchdown. The sophomore also tacked on 25 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground.

South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers Praised for Giving Frank Beamer Game Ball

When a player earns a game ball, it’s a way for the head coach to show praise for an impressive performance. It just so happens that South Carolina’s head coach is none other than Frank Beamer’s son, Shane Beamer. The 48-year-old has been the Gamecocks’ head coach since 2021, leading the team to a winning record in three of his first four seasons.

While Sellers’ play on Sunday was nothing short of impressive, the praise he earned for passing along the game ball to Beamer poured in on social media and quickly made headlines for all the right reasons.

"What a legend. Great day for him,” wrote one viewer.

"Not all hero’s wear capes,” said another fan.

"Respect like that hits different, shows the love goes beyond the game,” replied another viewer, giving a tip of the cap to Sellers.

"This is an awesome moment,” added one impressed fan.

Even viewers who aren’t fans of South Carolina football had to show their respect to Sellers for the gesture.

"I don’t like SC but I love this,” said one person.

South Carolina is fresh off its best season since 2017, finishing 9-4 in 2024 behind the strong play of Sellers. The quarterback’s breakout campaign featured 2,534 passing yards, 674 rushing yards, 25 combined touchdowns (18 passing, seven rushing) and just seven interceptions. Sellers also completed 65.6 percent of his passes last year, helping to set up a highly anticipated 2025 season for the quarterback.

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