Coastal Carolina Chanticleers Football: A New Era Takes Shape

Coastal Carolina University's football program is entering an exciting phase. With a significant influx of talent, the Chanticleers are poised to make waves in the upcoming seasons. The 2026 recruiting class is particularly noteworthy, with a blend of transfer portal additions, high school signees, and junior college players, all contributing to a revamped roster.

The 2026 Recruiting Class: A Historic Haul

Coastal Carolina added 56 total newcomers to the program during the 2026 signing cycle, highlighted by 38 transfer portal additions, along with 13 high school signees and five junior college additions. "There's a lot to be excited about with this historic 2026 recruiting class," said Beard. "We've targeted young men that have elite talent and the character to maintain a championship culture.

The February signing day additions include quarterbacks Tre Guerra, Trever Jackson, and Deuce Bailey; running backs Daelen Alexander and Jalen Allen-Hendrix; tight ends Cyrus Ellison and Jackson Kohl; wide receivers Tristian Gardner, Clayton Coppock, Goldie Lawrence, Krosse Johnson, and Kadarus Hainsworth; and offensive linemen Mason Barton, Daughtry Richardson, Cristian Loaiza, and Apisa Poumele. Defensively, the Chanticleers added defensive tackles Xzavier Booker, Cameron Williams, Reggie Jean, Ahmad Poole, and Dezmond Barnes; defensive ends Donovan Grayson, Chandavian Bradley, Mitchell Toney, and Aiden Parker; linebackers Marcellius Pulliam, Jordan Thompson, and Braxton Starnes; outside linebackers Azarel Juste, Jesse Powell, and Donald Quist; safeties Jalen Lee, Tyler Woodard, and Jax Pope; and cornerbacks Gabe White, Ryan Grayson, Travis Roman, Damill Bostic Jr., King White, and Garrett Smith-Dean.

The February signing day class builds upon Coastal Carolina's early signing period in December, when the Chanticleers welcomed an initial group of high school and junior college signees who helped establish the foundation of the 2026 class. "The alignment we have with our administration and across our entire staff has been huge in putting this roster together in a short amount of time," added Beard. "Everyone in our organization shares the same vision and commitment to excellence, which has allowed us to hit the ground running as we prepare to attack our first spring ball together in the coming weeks.

Offensive Roster Overview

The Chanticleers' offense boasts a diverse array of talent across all positions. Here's a breakdown:

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Quarterbacks

The quarterback position sees the addition of Tre Guerra, Trever Jackson, and Deuce Bailey, adding depth and competition to the existing roster. Other quarterbacks include names like D. Moore, E. Brown, J. Hunt, O. Lopez, S. Collier and T. Jackson.

Running Backs

The running back corps welcomes Daelen Alexander and Jalen Allen-Hendrix, joining a group that includes B. Townsend, C. Washington, D. Perteet, D. Lloyd, D. Knicely, J. Allen-Hendrix, J. John, J. Edwards, J. Ober, R. Hill, B. Townsend and C. Washington.

Wide Receivers

The wide receiver room is bolstered by the addition of Tristian Gardner, Clayton Coppock, Goldie Lawrence, Krosse Johnson, and Kadarus Hainsworth. The existing roster includes names like A. Jones, C. Hinton, C. Cmiel, D. White, G. Lawrence, J. Tucker, J. Johnson, J. McClintock, K. English, K. Johnson, K. Duplessis, L. Williams, M. Gillie, M. Meiga, N. Schuessler, R. Washington, S. McKie, T. Glass, T. Gardner, Z. Coleman.

Tight Ends

Cyrus Ellison and Jackson Kohl join the tight end unit, adding to the depth alongside players like B. Reaves, C. Berrong, C. Ellison, J. Kohl, K. Karr, P. Hartman, Z. Courtney and B. Verges.

Offensive Line

The offensive line is reinforced with Mason Barton, Daughtry Richardson, Cristian Loaiza, and Apisa Poumele. This group joins a solid line that includes A. Walton, A. Poumele, B. McIver, C. Loaiza, D. Jones, D. Richardson, D. Rijos, D. Manson, F. Richardson, G. Jones, G. McLaughlin, J. Buerk, J. Daniels, K. McDonald, L. Williams, M. Barton, N. Jones, N. Thompson, T. Johnson, T. Franklin, Z. Lindsay, J. Ashley and H. Edwards.

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Defensive Roster Enhancements

The Chanticleers' defense has been significantly upgraded with the addition of talented players across all positions.

Defensive Tackles

Xzavier Booker, Cameron Williams, Reggie Jean, Ahmad Poole, and Dezmond Barnes join the defensive tackle unit, adding size and strength to the defensive front. The line also includes names like A. Notice, A. Poole, D. Barnes, E. Taylor, J. Johnson, S. Goram-Welch and T. Nesbitt.

Defensive Ends

Donovan Grayson, Chandavian Bradley, Mitchell Toney, and Aiden Parker bolster the defensive end position, bringing pass-rushing ability and run-stopping prowess. The defensive roster includes names like A. Parker, C. Bradley, D. Grayson, E. Johnson, I. Diawara, M. Toney, N. Arinze, O. Onwuka, R. Aguilar, S. Ross and S. Thompson.

Linebackers

Marcellius Pulliam, Jordan Thompson, and Braxton Starnes join the linebacker corps, adding athleticism and tackling ability to the second level of the defense. Other linebackers on the team are B. Brown, B. Starnes, B. Ryan, C. Avery, D. Lunan, K. Sapp, K. Crawford, M. Te'o, M. Pulliam, G. Orgas, S. McDowell, and S. Bruce.

Defensive Backs

Azarel Juste, Jesse Powell, and Donald Quist will compete at the outside linebacker positions. The team also signed safeties Jalen Lee, Tyler Woodard, and Jax Pope; and cornerbacks Gabe White, Ryan Grayson, Travis Roman, Damill Bostic Jr., King White, and Garrett Smith-Dean. Other defensive backs include names like A. Temoney, A. Williams, A. Juste, B. Rose, C. Jackson, C. Henry, C. Eubanks, D. Bostic, D. Thomas, D. Quist, D. Pinckney, G. White, J. Wayne, J. Bufford, J. Robinson, J. Hampton, J. Lee, J. Johnson, J. Jackson, J. Ugochukwu, J. Powell, J. Thompson, J. Johnson, J. Powell, K. White, L. Whitaker, M. Knight, M. Mooyoung, M. Woods, N. Mastromatteo, N. Gibson, R. Grayson, S. Thompson, T. Fletcher, T. Roman, T. Woodard, X. Gordon and X. McIntyre.

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Special Teams Unit

The special teams unit is comprised of specialists who play a critical role in field position and scoring opportunities.

Specialists

The special teams unit includes specialists such as A. Ginsberg, B. Arnoult, E. Sebafundi, G. Carrick, J. Kirkpatrick, M. Weisenborn, and N. Merchant. E. Sebafundi is listed as a punter.

Coaching Staff's Vision

"The alignment we have with our administration and across our entire staff has been huge in putting this roster together in a short amount of time," added Beard. "Everyone in our organization shares the same vision and commitment to excellence, which has allowed us to hit the ground running as we prepare to attack our first spring ball together in the coming weeks."

Active Players: A Closer Look

The Coastal Carolina football roster features a mix of seasoned veterans and promising newcomers. Noteworthy active players include:

Noah Arinze: A redshirt senior defensive end.
Johnathan Ashley: A junior offensive tackle.
Cameron Avery: A redshirt sophomore linebacker.
Cane Berrong: A redshirt senior tight end.
Tray Brown: A redshirt junior linebacker.
Shane Bruce: A graduate linebacker.
Ja'Varis Bufford: A redshirt senior safety.
Gavin Carrick: A freshman long snapper.
Zach Courtney: A redshirt junior tight end.
Kadon Crawford: A redshirt freshman linebacker.
Rilan Cunningham: A freshman safety.
Josh Daniels: A redshirt sophomore offensive lineman.
Ibrahim Diawara: A redshirt junior defensive end.
Heston Edwards: A redshirt senior offensive guard.
Jevon Edwards: A freshman running back.
Zac Elam: A graduate offensive guard/center.
Karmello English: A junior wide receiver.
Tray Franklin: A redshirt junior offensive tackle.
Wyatt Gedeon: A junior linebacker.
Malcolm Gillie: A senior wide receiver.
Trishstin Glass: A freshman wide receiver.
Sawyer Goram-Welch: A graduate defensive tackle.
Xamarion Gordon: A redshirt senior safety.
Paul Hartman: A redshirt freshman tight end.
Chris Henry: A redshirt freshman safety.
Colton Hinton: A junior wide receiver.
Chase Jackson: A redshirt freshman cornerback.
Desmond Jackson: A redshirt freshman offensive tackle.
Jayden Jackson: A redshirt senior safety.
Jalen John: A redshirt senior running back.
Thomas Johnson: A redshirt senior offensive guard/center.
Avyonne Jones: A redshirt junior safety.
Daniel Jones: A redshirt freshman offensive tackle.
Dominic Knicely: A freshman running back.
Dontae Lunan: A redshirt senior linebacker.
Kain McDonald: A redshirt freshman offensive guard/center.
Se'Von McDowell: A sophomore linebacker.
Xavier McIntyre: A sophomore safety.
Brayson McIver: A redshirt freshman center.
Gavin McLaughlin: A redshirt freshman offensive tackle.
Malick Meiga: A graduate wide receiver.
Nate Merchant: A redshirt junior long snapper.
Myles Mooyoung: A redshirt senior cornerback.
Travis Nesbitt: A redshirt senior defensive end.
Aamarii Notice: A redshirt senior defensive tackle.
Joe Ober: A freshman running back.
Obinna Onwuka: A redshirt freshman defensive end.
Dre Pinckney: A redshirt senior safety.
Brown Reaves: A freshman tight end.
Dominic Rijos: A freshman offensive guard.
Jacob Robinson: A senior safety.
Brandon Rose: A freshman safety.
Sam Ross: A redshirt sophomore defensive end.
Kaden Sapp: A redshirt freshman linebacker.
Nathan Schuessler: A redshirt sophomore wide receiver.
Emile Sebafundi: A redshirt senior punter.
Eric Taylor: A redshirt senior defensive tackle.
Shaikh Thompson: A redshirt freshman defensive end.
Breyahn Townsend: A redshirt sophomore running back.
Jameson Tucker: A senior wide receiver.
Jeffrey Ugochukwu: A senior safety.
Ben Verges: A freshman tight end.
Anthony Walton: A redshirt senior offensive guard.
Robby Washington: A redshirt sophomore wide receiver.
Ja'Marion Wayne: A redshirt junior cornerback.

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