Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 2018 Football Preview

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers 2018 Football Preview

Opening Statement: The Chants figured out pretty quickly that a move to FBS from a successful run as an FCS program does not immediately equal success as it has for Appalachian State, one of the few teams to ever make a seamless transition with that process. Joe Moglia missed the season with health issues, and the rest of the program slid from there in what was a very bumpy year one as an FBS member of the Sun Belt Conference. After just 3 wins last fall, the only way to go is up, but that road may just be longer than anyone realizes.

Breakdown Offense: Coastal scored just 23.7 points per game on offense, and passed for just 189.1 yards per contest. They rushed for 156.25 yards per game, but overall, this entire unit needs some major improvement over the effort provided last fall.

Five different QBs threw passes last fall, with the leader of the group, Tyler Keane, moving on, that leaves a two man battle for the starting job heading into the fall, as the last two of the five that attempted passes have also moved on. Kilton Anderson and Chance Thrasher are the lone returning QBs with experience, with Anderson looking like the clear leader. Anderson passed for 743 yards last fall, with 7 TDs and 3 INTs. He completed just 45% of his attempts while averaging just 123 yards passing per game. Thrasher attempted just 10 passes, completing 5 of them. Austin Bradley is likely the 3rd QB, but freshman Bryce Carpenter will bare some watching as time moves along.

Osharmar Abercrombie led the Chants in rushing last fall with 724 yards and 7 scores, and nobody else was close, but he has moved on, so the Chants need a fresh start at the RB position as well. Alex James rushed for 274 yards and 4 scores, and Marcus Outlaw will push him for carries in camp. Look out for Jacqez Hairston as well, as he averaged 5.83 yards per carry in limited action as a freshman. Anthony McAfee and Baden Pinson, bith RS freshmen, will be looking to make some kind of impact as well.

Malcolm Williams led the team with 46 receptions for 793 yards and 7 TDs last fall, and returns to lead the receiving corps once again. Ky'Jon Tyler caught 223 passes and is the second receiver, while Larry Collins, Jr. could fit into the 3rd receiver spot after finishing with just 9 receptions last fall. T'Qele Holmes is fighting for a starting spot as well. Three different RS freshmen are coming on the scene as well, and a majority of the starters are not safe if those players show any impact at camp.

Michael McFarlane is the lone TE on the spring roster that made it to summer.

The line looks set coming into fall camp. Steven Bedosky (LT), Jack Franklin (LG), Brock Hoffman (C), Trey Carter (RG), and Ethan Howard (RT) all hold starting jobs after spring ball ended. Adam Lawhorn is the lone backup listed, so there could be a battle for reserve spots ongoing into fall camp as the staff tries to create some depth that is not apparent now.

Breakdown Defense: Coastal Carolina had some serious struggles on the defensive side in year one as an FBS program, allowing 34 points per game. They allowed 241.3 yards passing per game, and 169.5 yards per game on the ground.

The best defensive lineman on the team is gone in Marcus Williamson, who finished with 8 TFLs. Jeffrey Gunter could end up winning the LDE position, as he finished with 3.5 TFLs as a freshman last fall. Tarron Jackson is listed at DT, but could switch out to play RDE this fall. There were only 4 DEs on the spring roster, so depth is completely thin there.

Ja'Ree Tolbert returns at DT, and he finished with 3.5 TFLs. CJ Brewer recorded 2.5 TFLs last fall as a freshman, and also starts at DT. Jalin Walker and Jonathon Clayton provide some depth there.

Shane Johnson, who led the team in tackles at 100 is gone at LB, leaving yet another void. Silas Kelly finished with 75 tackles, and will start at the WILL spot. James Heft takes over at the MLB spot, and finished last fall with 23 tackles as a junior. Laqavious Paul is the HERO backer, and takes over for Kerron Johnson, who also moved on after recording 7.5 TFLs last fall. Paul played 9 games as a sophomore. Again, depth is not apparent at any of the three spots.

Anthony Chesley returns for his senior season, and will start at CB. He recorded 8 PBUs on the season, and finished with 55 tackles. Preston Carey will play the opposite CB spot and led the team with 10 PBUs last fall, and will be one of the better DBs in the Sun Belt this fall. He totaled 27 tackles. Jonathon Smith, a sophomore, and Chandler Kryst,a junior, are the key reserves at CB.

Fitz Wattley returns as a senior to start at Safety, and led the team with 3 INTs last season, and added 82 tackles. Amir Howard is the other starting safety, and played in 10 games as a freshman last fall. There is not much depth behind them.

Breakdown Special Teams: Evan Rabon struggled at PK last fall, hitting just 12/19 FG attempts. He will not likely be pushed out of his job in camp, but improvement must be made. He is much more adept at being the Punter, where he averaged 43.3 yards per punt last fall.

Malcolm Williams averaged 21.9 yards per KR last fall, and returns to that role once again. Ky'Jon Taylor averaged 7.11 yards per punt return, and is back in that role as well.

Final Analysis: The reality is that there is room for improvement for CCU this fall, but how much improvement remains to be seen. They lost a lot of talent at LB and there is not enough depth on the defensive side to scare anyone, and the offense has a lot of work to do, especially in the run game and consistency at QB. These are all severe issues that need patching up, and having coach Joe Moglia back and healthy would be a huge gain as well. In short, the list of projects is long, and time is short, so don't expect too much from this football team in year 2 of their FBS membership, and you will not be disappointed.