Shane Beamer is officially the head coach at South Carolina, and now comes one of the most crucial parts of his first few weeks as head coach: building a staff.

Bringing in new staff members is a highly-scrutinized part of the start of a coach’s tenure, and Beamer discussed a little bit of the hiring process in his introductory press conference Monday.

“I want guys on this staff that have a lot of the same values I do. I want high character guys. I want good people in this program that are investing in our players’ lives each and every day and are setting great examples in the types of husbands and fathers they are to their own families, if they have families; high character to begin with,” Beamer said.

“You’re not going to get in if you’re not with me. I want great teachers with Xs and Os and knowledge. Elite recruiters is what we’re looking for and guys who are driven and are not complacent and have a passion for this university and advancing this program like I do.”

If he has chosen coaches to join his staff, those haven’t been made public yet, but Beamer spent the last day talking with potential candidates about vacancies, some of which could be on South Carolina’s staff currently.

The Gamecocks’ new head coach met with every member of South Carolina’s current staff last night, his first official day on the job, and said there’s a chance a few of those people will still be in Columbia next year.

“We’re going through that process right now,” Beamer said. “Coach (Will) Muschamp put together a great staff of men, coaches and recruiters. There are certainly some guys I would envision being in our program going forward. It would certainly have to be the right fit for them and for us as a program.”

The timetable for hiring and naming a full staff could be a little more complicated this year.

Because of Coronavirus, the majority of schools still have a handful of regular season games to play, which could affect when an assistant could be hired and join Beamer in Columbia.

Some coaches could also be playing in conference championship games or bowl games, and that could affect a timetable for hiring as well.

In a normal year, the regular season would be over by now and the coaching carousel operating at breakneck speed.

“The amount of people who have expressed interest in being here is really cool,” Beamer said. “I want to get it done as soon as possible, but I’m not going to be rushed. We're going to put together a premier staff that’s a perfect fit for Carolina.”

Two of his biggest hires will be offensive and defensive coordinator, and he’s already developed a set of criteria for those positions as well.

“Coordinator roles, a lot of that goes back to the style of play we’re looking for and what’s best for our program,” Beamer said. “Guys who are able to adjust, guys who have great knowledge of Xs and Os in different systems, and guys who are proven with track records of doing it at a high level for a long time.”