Coastal Carolina went 20-19 the previous three years with three bowl bids under Tim Beck, but after resounding success the previous three seasons, it wasn’t considered enough. From 2020 through 2022 under Jamey Chadwell, the Chanticleers went 31-7 and won a Sun Belt championship in 2020.
That is the level the program is looking to return to after hiring Ryan Beard from Missouri State. The Chanticleers hope to improve on last year’s 6-7 record, but with so much change and numerous players coming and going through the transfer portal, there is a wide range of outcomes for this team.
Coastal Carolina Season Preview
The expectations outside of Conway, South Carolina, aren’t so high. Coastal Carolina was picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt East Division in the preseason coaches poll. While not considered a contender, who really knows with so many new faces on the roster and the coaching staff.
Key Players To Replace
- Quarterback Tad Hudson, who appeared in 11 games with seven starts and passed for 1,253 yards with six touchdowns and seven interceptions, has transferred to North Carolina State.
- Ja’Vin Simpkins, who rushed for a team-high 591 yards and two touchdowns, transferred to UAB.
- Leading receiver Bryson Graves, who had 35 receptions for 330 yards and two touchdowns, transferred to Delaware.
- Offensive lineman Nick Del Grande, who started 35 games in four years at Coastal Carolina, transferred to Duke.
- Fellow offensive lineman Joe Hanson, who started all 10 games he appeared in last season, transferred to Oklahoma State.
- Safety Xamarion Gordon, a second-team All-Sun Belt selection who used up his eligibility, led Coastal Carolina with 71 tackles.
- Linebacker Dontae Lunan, who was third on the team with 55 tackles, also used up his eligibility.
The Quarterback Situation
The starting quarterback role feels up for grabs. Redshirt freshman Deuce Bailey followed Beard from Missouri State, where he appeared in three games last season. Bailey completed 23 of 47 passes for 335 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also ran for 81 yards and one touchdown. Bailey might be the favorite to start, but it appears that the situation will be settled in camp.
Also in the mix is junior college transfer Tre Guerra, who passed for 2,811 yards and 24 touchdowns last season for Tyler Junior College.
Another player to watch is redshirt sophomore Trever Jackson, who transferred from Arkansas where he threw just one pass last season.
The other quarterbacks on the roster are true freshmen Luke McBride and Osiris Lopez.
Key Returning Players
- Cornerback Ja’Marion Wayne started 12 games and recorded 61 tackles, one interception and seven pass breakups while also blocking a field goal attempt. He earned first-team honors in the Sun Belt preseason all-conference team.
- Linebacker Tray Brown appeared in all 13 games with nine starts. He recorded 54 tackles, including a team-high 11.5 tackles for loss.
- Safety Myles Woods appeared in 13 games with 11 starts. He had 45 tackles, three interceptions and six pass breakups.
- Linebacker Se’Von McDowell started nine games and appeared in 11. He had 48 tackles, including 4.5 tackles for loss and two pass breakups.
- Defensive end Ibrahim Diawara appeared in all 13 games and recorded 16 tackles, including six tackles for loss and two sacks.
- Dominic Lee-Knicely rushed for 385 yards and three touchdowns last year as a true freshman.
- Robby Washington is the leading returning receiver with 29 receptions for 278 yards and three touchdowns.
- In nine games, tight end Zach Courtney had nine receptions for 120 yards.
- Offensive lineman Tray Franklin appeared in nine games last year.
Key Newcomers
- Safety Jalen Lee earned all-conference honors last season at South Dakota State after recording 63 tackles, three interceptions and seven pass breakups.
- Daelen Alexander rushed for 392 yards and two touchdowns last year at Rice and figures to be in the running back mix.
- Clayton Coppock Jr. had 28 receptions for 311 yards and five touchdowns last season as a freshman at Kennesaw State.
- Cristian Loaiza started the first three games at left tackle last season for Missouri State before suffering a season-ending injury.
- Daughtry Richardson started multiple games at right tackle for Florida Atlantic.
- Long snapper Mitch Weisenborn appeared in all 13 games last season for Missouri State.
- Defensive end Chandavian Bradley is expected to contribute after appearing in 11 games and making three tackles last season for Oklahoma State.
- Another potential contributor on the defensive line is Reggie Jean, who appeared in 12 games last year for Northern Illinois and contributed 10 tackles and a sack.
Coastal Carolina’s 2026 Schedule
- 9/5 at West Virginia
- 9/12 vs. Fordham
- 9/19 at Delaware
- 9/24 vs. Liberty
- 10/3 vs. Georgia Southern
- 10/10 at Marshall
- 10/16 vs. Appalachian State
- 10/31 at Georgia State
- 11/7 vs. Old Dominion
- 11/14 vs. Arkansas State
- 11/21 at Louisiana
- 11/28 at James Madison
Bold indicates Sun Belt contests
Coastal Carolina’s Sun Belt Title Betting Odds
Coastal Carolina’s college football betting odds to win the conference are +5000, via BetMGM.
Coastal Carolina’s Betting Odds & Over/Under Win Total
- Coastal Carolina’s win total Over/Under is 4.5
- The Under is at +115
- The Over is at -150
Coastal Carolina Season Prediction
I like the Chanticleers to go over 4.5 wins.
The non-conference schedule is difficult with games at West Virginia and at home against Liberty, and then there is a tough matchup at Delaware. Both Liberty and Delaware are highly competitive Conference USA teams. If Coastal Carolina could somehow go 2-2 in the non-conference slate (with the other game being against FCS Fordham) then the Chanticleers would have to go 3-5 against Sun Belt opponents to reach five wins.
Again, that won’t be easy, but it is attainable even with games against Louisiana and Arkansas State, which are picked second and third, respectively, in the Sun Belt coaches poll in the West Division.
What is limiting my expectations is the unknown situation at quarterback, but Beard has brought a lot of enthusiasm, and the Chanticleers might be more competitive than their preseason ranking suggests.
