Head Coach: Tim Beck is entering his 2nd season as the head coach of the Chanticleers with an 8-5 record. They lost Grayson McCall partway through the year but won a lot of close games to keep a strong record. Beck had many Offensive coordinator stops prior to taking this job including at Nebraska, Ohio State, Texas and NC State.
Program Outlook: Coastal Carolina football grew rather quickly. The Chanticleers were originally in FCS when they got the teal turf in 2015, they moved up to FBS in 2017. It took a few years for things to get going, but 2020 was their year. The Chanticleers rolled through the most loaded Sun Belt ever undefeated had the current playoff system existed they would have earned an auto bid over the Pac-12 champ, they had the teal turf, mullets and got headlines from a last moment game scheduled with BYU. This is notable because they were really the only program that found success during that weird season and sustained it. Their best FBS season before that was 5 wins and their worst since was last year’s 8-5 season. The Chanticleers are a factor in the Sun Belt now and they don’t plan for that to change.
How does the 2024 Roster look?: Coastal Carolina will see a lot of transition this year, they were actually hit pretty hard in the portal. The offense already dropped off a bit last season, it wasn’t as fluid as in years past. Their star Grayson McCall is off to NC State, but the transition may have already happened last season when McCall got hurt and Ethan Vasko was ok replacing team. Vasko will be pushed by Michigan State transfer Noah Kim. The Chanticleers run game was only ok, they didn’t have a true lead back but had a variety of guys carry the ball, unless someone takes over this backfield you can expect more of the same. Coastal Carolina had a fantastic duo of receivers last year but both are now gone, it will be interesting to see Jameson Tucker take on a bigger role, he was a big play threat last year. They’ll likely be solid there and on the offensive line as well. The line performed well preventing negative plays and they have a lot of experience back. Their defense made some much needed steps in the right direction last season but now they must figure out how to replace their entire defensive front and some of their experience at linebacker. The front in particular is concerning, they might find a solid starting 3 but depth is also a concern. The good news is that the secondary returns a veteran group including one of the better corner duos in the conference. This should be a strength.
Screenshot from fbschedules.com1
2024 Schedule Thoughts: This schedule is tougher than you’d think. Jacksonville State is the opener is going to be a challenge, the Gamecocks kept getting better as the year went on last year. William & Mary may not scare you initially, they did collapse at the end of last season but they’re a team that could rebound and instantly be one of the most dangerous teams in FCS. Temple has a lot to figure out so that could be a favorable matchup. Virginia returns a lot of experience and could be a lot better but Coastal Carolina gets them on the Teal Turf. Coastal Carolina’s conference schedule is rough, they’re in the rugged East division and draw Troy/Louisiana from the West which may be one of the most difficult draws possible. Coastal Carolina can contend with a lot of answers but they could also find themselves battling for a bowl game.
Vegas Projection: Coastal Carolina’s win total is set at 6.5 with the odds geared toward the under. Vegas is not too hopeful on the Chanticleers expecting them to regress once again this year.
2024 Best Case: Ethan Vasko becomes a star the team grows their mullets back and Coastal Carolina is cool again. They open the season in a big way taking down Jacksonville State on the road for a huge statement win. They avoid a letdown against William & Mary before crushing Temple and winning a massive home game against Virginia. Coastal Carolina opens Sun Belt play with a very tough stretch but is undeterred by it winning 5 of 6 to open conference play to take command of the conference and they win the last 2 games to close it out. Coastal Carolina makes the conference championship and faces an undefeated Texas State with a playoff bid on the line. The Chanticleers take down the Bobcats to make it. They’re matched up with Ohio State in the first round (Tim Beck revenge game!) but they come up just short of winning the game. Clemson fails to make the playoff while South Carolina doesn’t even make a bowl so there’s still lots of bragging rights in the state!
2024 Worst Case: Maybe the foundation is starting to crack. They open the season getting run off the field by Rich Rod’s high tempo offense at Jax State. William & Mary returns to being a FCS contender which means no break for Coastal Carolina as they are upset by the Tribe. At this point with an extremely tough Sun Belt schedule it’s clear they’re in a lot of trouble. They finish the season 1-11 with immediate concern for where this program is going. Adding insult to it all is Appalachian State makes the playoff and goes on a small run, while Clemson wins the national title.
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