Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

[Soapy]

expected to see a bigger dip in talent but pretty much got the same OVR at QB with good depth too

[djp73]

7 turnovers and a win is unheard of

[djp73]

roster still looks really solid, any positions of concern?

[redsox907]

expected to see a bigger dip in talent but pretty much got the same OVR at QB with good depth too

Same overall but lesser talent. Bryce had elite skill sets, his awareness was just capped at 71. I fully expect whoever ends up winning the battle to be a significant down grade. Defense will remain solid as will the running game imo, but QB and WR took a drastic step backwords

7 turnovers and a win is unheard of

I couldn't believe it. Defense played lights out and Bryce stepped up at the right time. would have been a shame for him to go out like that and on a loss. probably effected his draft stock

roster still looks really solid, any positions of concern?

outside finding a QB we're comfortable with its easily WR. I expected Hape to take a bigger leap in Y2 with Star dev trait. CB is slightly too just because not very man of them are solid in man coverage, which is what I like to run 75% of the time. Will be a trail and error for coverages early on

[redsox907]

Coastal Continues To Reach New Heights On the Recruiting Trail

Conway, SC. - The Chanticleers under Kade Vaughn have already erased the idea that landing a 4-star recruit is a pipe dream in Conway. What was once unthinkable has become routine, with 17 total 4-stars arriving via high school recruiting and the transfer portal in just the last year alone. But now Coastal has hit another milestone on its march toward the sport’s upper tier — a pre-season commitment from the 127th recruit in the nation.

“We’re pleased to announce that Lee Omameh has officially signed a letter of intent with the Chanticleers for the 2030 season,” Vaughn told reporters after a late fall practice.

“We had a lot of conversations in the spring about our interest in him, about what it would mean for him to come play ball on the Atlantic Coast, and he just stopped me mid-sentence and said, ‘No need, Coach. I’m all in.’ That’s the moment I knew this thing was changing.”

For Vaughn, the pledge serves as validation after a portal cycle that left the Chants feeling slighted despite their national championship run. “We weren’t getting our flowers early on, but the perception around Coastal is shifting,” he added.

The timing couldn’t be more symbolic. After posting the 13th-ranked class in 2028, Coastal is on the cusp of its first recruiting cycle as an incoming ACC member in 2030. And if the early commitment of the No. 127 player in the country is any indication, the Chanticleers may be building their best class yet — one that not only reinforces Vaughn’s momentum but signals that Coastal is here to stay among college football’s elite.

[redsox907]

2029 - Week One Preview

#2 Coastal Carolina
Offensive Scheme: Veer and Shoot
Defensive Scheme: 3-3-5

Wake Forest
67 Overall // 69 Offense // 66 Defense
Head Coach: Jake Dickert (22-28)
Offensive Scheme: Spread
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5

Wake Forest Top Players
SR(RS) QB Everett Donaghy (75)
SR(RS) HB Kamran Williams (89)
JR(RS) WR Taj Waddell (80)
SR(RS) DE Rodney Walford (81)
SR MLB Emmett Stubbs (84)
JR(RS) CB Doug Nugent (86)

Notable Matchups
#21 Washington @ Tennessee
#4 Auburn @ #3 Miami
#20 Florida State @ #17 Georgia
#6 Alabama @ #12 Notre Dame
#10 Texas A&M @ #9 Louisville

[YaBoyRobRoy]

Gotta love those insta commits. Good luck against Wake, try not to beat um by 60 lol

[redsox907]

Gotta love those insta commits. Good luck against Wake, try not to beat um by 60 lol

first one of the chise

[redsox907]

Chanticleers Overcome Slow Start Behind 43 Point Avalanche


Mason Kelsay was feeling himself after he emerged victorious in the battle for QB1.

BOXSCORE

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final
Wake Forest	14	7	0	0	21
Coastal Carolina	7	21	5	17	50

ScoringSummary

Q	Team	Time	Play	Wake Forest	Home
1st	Wake Forest	6:30	Taj Waddell, 42 Yd Pass From Everett Donaghy	7	0
1st	Coastal Carolina	6:16	Sidney Barkow, 81 Yd Run	7	7
1st	Wake Forest	0:12	Cordell Ivie, 29 Yd Pass From Everett Donaghy	14	7
2nd	Wake Forest	6:50	Kamran Williams, 1 Yd Run	21	7
2nd	Coastal Carolina	6:06	Mason Kelsay, 22 Yd Run	21	14
2nd	Coastal Carolina	3:10	Dimitri Shakir, 43 Yd Pass From Mason Kelsay	21	21
2nd	Coastal Carolina	0:00	George Rabe, 5 Yd Pass From Mason Kelsay	21	28
3rd	Coastal Carolina	7:30	Safety	21	30
3rd	Coastal Carolina	5:15	Jesus Mendez, 46 Yd FG	21	33
4th	Coastal Carolina	10:56	Jesus Mendez, 30 Yd FG	21	36
4th	Coastal Carolina	8:23	Terrence Rugamba, 53 Yd Pass From Mason Kelsay	21	43
4th	Coastal Carolina	4:03	Mason Kelsay, 15 Yd Run	21	50

Coastal Carolina
Passing_Stats

Mason Kelsay	17/30, 232 Yds, 3 TD, INT
Neal Kennedy	4/7, 37 Yds
Carter Smith	2/8, 33 Yds

Rushing_Stats

Sidney Barklow	12 Att, 137 Yds, TD
Mason Kelsay	11 Att, 121 Yds, 2 TD
Neal Kennedy	2 Att, -1 Yd

Receiving_Stats

Terrence Rugamba	6 Rec, 114 Yds, TD
Trishtin Glass	5 Rec, 64 Yds
Sidney Barkow	3 Rec, 14 Yds
George Rabe	3 Rec, 20 Yds, TD
Matthew Hape	3 Rec, 27 Yds
Spencer Yeast	1 Rec, 4 Yds
Dimitri Shakir	1 Rec, 43 Yds, TD
Bernie Bender	1 Rec, 16 Yds

Defensive_Stats

MLB Walt Reyna	11 Tkl, 4 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
LB Juan Acker	11 Tkl, 3 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
DE Darrion Hammer	9 Tkl, 3 TFL, Sack
DT Don Vasher	5 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2 Sacks
DT Mitch Dora	4 Tkl, 3 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
DE Brooks Wheat	2 Tkl, TFL, Sack

Wake Forest
Passing_Stats

Everett Donaghy	23/35, 400 Yds, 2 TD

Rushing_Stats

Kamran Williams	18 Att, 80 Yds, TD
Everett Donaghy	13 Att, -24 Yds
Cam Settles	3 Att, 2 Yds

Receiving_Stats

Marquez Devoe	8 Rec, 144 Yds
Taj Waddell	6 Rec, 109 Yds, TD
Cordell Ivie	5 Rec, 65 Yds, TD
Kamran Williams	3 Rec, 52 Yds
Henry Gregory	1 Rec, 30 Yds

Defensive_Stats

CB Addison Reinbolt	10 Tkl, TFL, INT
DE Devin Bowling	4 Tkl, 2 TFL, 1.5 Sacks
DT Andres Mateo	3 Tkl, 2 TFL, Sack
DE Rodney Walford	2 Tkl, TFL, 0.5 Sack

Conway, SC. - The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers kicked off their title defense in uneven fashion, looking every bit like a team still searching for its offensive identity. Coach Kade Vaughn knew there would be growing pains without Bryce Underwood at quarterback, but what stunned the Brooks Stadium faithful in Week 1 was how vulnerable the vaunted Chanticleer defense looked. Wake Forest came out firing, bombing away for three quick touchdowns and a shocking 21-7 lead that silenced a crowd still basking in the glow of the program’s first national title.

Everett Donaghy, playing like a man possessed, shredded Coastal’s secondary early, completing 16 of 20 passes for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the first quarter alone. Meanwhile, the Chanticleers’ quarterback carousel sputtered. Vaughn abandoned his usual quarter-by-quarter rotation and instead cycled through quarterbacks every three possessions, hoping someone would seize control. Carter Smith opened but went 0-for-4 with two empty possessions. Neal Kennedy put points on the board, though only because new running back Sidney Barkow ripped off an electrifying 81-yard touchdown run. Kennedy’s three-series sample otherwise produced a lone completion for 17 yards.

That left Mason Kelsay, the USC transfer with the cannon arm and questionable polish, staring down a 14-7 deficit. His first drive fizzled with a third-down sack, and Wake Forest pounced, extending their lead to 21-7. The stadium buzzed with unease. But then Kelsay made the play that changed everything: a 52-yard scramble through half the Demon Deacons defense, capped with a stiff arm that brought the crowd roaring back to life. On the very next snap, he broke free again for a gutsy 22-yard run, hurdling a defender in the process.

As Kelsay came off the field, Vaughn grabbed his jersey and delivered a message that was both a challenge and a promise: “Keep doing that and you aren’t coming out, kid.”

The defense responded too. Redshirt freshman corner Xavier Montague, who had just been torched on a double move, sprinted downfield, stripped Marquez Devoe at the one-yard line, and recovered the fumble himself. Vaughn later called it the defining moment of the game: “It’s fight like that that wins ball games.”

From there, Kelsay found his rhythm. He rifled a 43-yard touchdown to Dimitri Shakir, then capped the half with a laser to George Rabe as the clock hit zero, putting Coastal up 28-21 at the break. Vaughn briefly gave both Smith and Kennedy one more chance in the third quarter, telling Kelsay, “Show me you can handle the big moments and don’t let this shake you.” Neither challenger made a case, as both looked overwhelmed while the Coastal defense tightened its grip.

Finally, Vaughn turned back to his transfer and told him, “Give ’em hell, kid.” Kelsay did just that, engineering three more scoring drives, including a 15-yard touchdown run and a 53-yard strike to Terrence Rugamba, slamming the door on Wake Forest and locking down his claim to QB1.

After surrendering 324 yards in the first quarter alone, Coastal’s defense clamped down hard, limiting Donaghy to just 76 yards on 7-of-15 passing the rest of the way while sacking him eight times in total. The “Teal Wave” had reasserted itself.

It was far from a perfect opener, but Vaughn’s team once again proved its resilience, flipping an early disaster into a commanding finish. The challenge now is to start faster on both sides of the ball, with a much stiffer test looming: a trip to Tallahassee to face a Florida State squad hungry for redemption after a 38-10 thumping by Georgia.

The play that finally sparked the Chants - Kelsay hurdling the defender he just stiff armed on his way to the rushing score.


Big plays killed Coastal early on as WR Taj Waddell spins out of the tackle by Jason Ramsay for the long opening touchdown.


Once Coastal figured out their coverage it was hurt city for Everett Donaghy.

Notable Week One Results
24 #12 Auburn @ #1 Miami 38
10 Florida State @ #15 Georgia 38
42 #4 Alabama vs #17 Notre Dame 36
6 #19 Texas A&M @ #7 Louisville 44

[djp73]

Mason seems like the guy, at least at the moment.