Ex Libertate Veritas | Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

[redsox907]

Can't Stop the Teal - Chanticleers Secure 11th Ranked Class Behind 15 Transfer Additions

Conway, SC. -Folks, Kade Vaughn has done it again.

One year after landing Bryce Underwood — the No. 1 overall transfer recruit who went on to win the Heisman — Vaughn and Coastal Carolina once again flexed their muscle in the transfer portal. Armed with what insiders now openly call one of the nation’s most aggressive NIL operations, the Chanticleers landed the No. 2 transfer class in the country, trailing only Notre Dame, and vaulted their overall class ranking from No. 19 to No. 11.

The crown jewel? Defensive tackle David Stone, the former Oklahoma five-star who headlines the nation’s defensive transfers.

“It’s clear Coastal was targeting size and depth up front,” explained ESPN’s Eli Lederman. “Injuries and fatigue exposed their defensive line late last year. Landing Stone and pairing him with SEC veteran Kevin Wynn (Auburn) gives them an interior presence that simply wasn’t there down the stretch.”

Joining the defensive haul are DE Charlie Collins (Louisiana Tech), FS Gage Drummond (Pitt), and LB Juan Acker (Virginia Tech), rounding out a group of five impact transfers on that side of the ball.

The other obvious priority was reloading an offensive line gutted by attrition — four starters gone, three to graduation and one (Dominic Rijos) to the portal. Vaughn admitted they swung big but didn’t land every target.

“We were as aggressive with offensive linemen as we were with defensive linemen. Some chose to go elsewhere, but I like the guys we’ve got,” Vaughn said when the class was unveiled.

Coastal missed out on both T Matthew Baskerville and G DJ Nesbit, who both chose the rival Clemson Tigers, but were still able to land some impact additions.

The headliner is Xavier Pate (Notre Dame), one of five offensive linemen joining the Chants. Still, Vaughn will need this new group to jell quickly to keep Bryce Underwood upright.

Replacing Bill Davis, the heartbeat of last year’s run game, was another necessity. With Michael Allen’s ankle still a long-term question mark despite his assurances that he’s “100%,” Vaughn refused to leave the room thin.

Enter Dareon Doctson (Auburn) and Jalen Likely (Liberty). Doctson adds power, while Likely is expected to handle Allen’s “scatback” role and provide depth for what Coastal hopes is another playoff run.

The most high-profile departures came out wide, with Aziah Johnson graduating and record-setter Dazmin James leaving behind massive shoes. To replace them, Vaughn once again turned to the portal, adding Talyn Taylor (Georgia) and Jeremiah McClellan (USC) as potential new stars for Underwood.

“Since I’ve been here, we’ve had success plucking big-time receivers from the portal,” Vaughn said. “One day you want to build those guys from scratch, but right now, we think Talyn and Jeremiah can step in and continue the standard.”

While Vaughn didn’t land the No. 1 overall prospect for a second straight year, his strategy of blending top transfers with high school signees (the Chants’ prep class ranked 19th nationally) has Coastal on par with traditional powers.

“I think the rise in players putting Coastal at the top of their lists says it all,” Vaughn told boosters. “This isn’t a place kids come to ‘rebuild’ anymore. We are the destination. We’re competing with the big boys, and the next step is simple: hoisting that gold trophy.”

-2027-Coastal_Recruiting-Class

Ranking	Position	Name	Hometown	Tendency	NAT/STA/POS
	DE	Eric Wheat	Wallingford, CT	Pure Power	67/1/4
	DT	Lionel Ruggins	Charlotte, NC	Pure Power	74/2/6
	ATH	Caleb Karapateas	Chattanooga, TN	Thumper	104/6/10
	WR	Matthew Hape	Myrtle Beach, SC	Speedster	156/3/30
	MLB	Nick Farrior	Marietta, GA	Thumper	166/11/13
	TE(WR)	Percy LaRue	Seffner, FL	Physical Route Runner	251/50/26
	CB	Keenan Brightwell	Lake Wales, FL	Boundary	270/27/30
	CB	Koren Roche	Overland Park, KS	Boundary	274/28/2
	G	Connor Payne	Green Bay, WI	Raw Strength	306/21/3
	QB	Andre Koloamatangi	Savannah, GA	Dual Threat	383/35/25
	CB	Xavier Montague	Waukesha, WI	Field	401/40/6
	FS	A.J. Dwumfour	Los Lunas, NM	Coverage Specialist	414/1/18
	QB	Tobias Gallimore	Port Orange, FL	Pure Runner	497/65/36
	T	Matt Buzbee	Northbrook, IL	Agile	498/37/13
	HB	Emmett Abraham	Mililani, HI	East/West Playmaker	541/54/4
	MLB	Damon Hakim	Tampa, FL	Signal Caller	549/72/44
	G	Darrell Briscoe	Hartsville, SC	Agile	1,064/19/51

2027_Coastal_Carolina_Transfer_Class

Name	Class	Position	Old School	2027 Stats
David Stone	JR	DT	Oklahoma	50 Tkl, 18 TFL, 10.5 Sacks
Kevin Wynn	JR	DT	Auburn	26 Tkl, 11 TFL, 2.5 Sacks
Talyn Taylor	SO	WR	Georgia	76 Rec, 1,215 Yds, 10 TD
Xavier Pate	JR	T	Notre Dame	1 Sack
Dareon Doctson	SO	HB	Auburn	N/A
Jeremiah McClellan	JR	WR	USC	62 Rec, 892 Yds, 4 TD
Charlie Collins	JR	DE	Louisiana Tech	27 Tkl, 8 TFL, 2 Sacks
Gage Drummond	JR	FS	Pittsburgh	79 Tkl, 4 TFl, 0.5 Sack, INT
Neal Kennedy	SO	QB	Kansas State	N/A
Terrell Stork	FR	T	Tulsa	0 Sack
Luis Jacques	SO	G	Mississippi State	0 Sack
Devin Harper	SO	G	Arkansas State	0 Sack
Jalen Likely	SO	HB	Liberty	137 Att, 514 Yds, 7 TD
Juan Acker	SO	LB	Virgina Tech	8 Tkl
Benji Iosefa	FR	T	Northwestern	0 Sack

-2027-Top_Prospect_Results

Ranking	Position	Name	Hometown	Tendency	Signed
1	ATH	Terry Briggs	Detroit, MI	Pure Possession	Nebraska
2	WR	Byron Toppins	Orlando, FL	Contested Specialist	Penn State
3	WR	JT Thierry	Fort Worth, TX	Route Artist	Colorado
4	SS	Jimmy Baity	Hoover, AL	Coverage Specialist	Nebraska
5	FS	JR Finley	Detroit, MI	Box Specialist	Nebraska
6	CB	Gabe Rosario	Wichita Falls, TX	Boundary	Ohio State
7	CB	Kevin Vaughn	Detroit, MI	Bump and Run	Penn State
8	QB	Grant Marcus	Washington, MD	Dual Threat	Penn State
9	CB	Barry Tobias	Salt Lake City, UT	Bump and Run	Nebraska
10	MLB	Jabari Kashama	Alpharetta, GA	Signal Caller	Georgia
11	QB	Gerald Osborne	Council Bluffs, IA	Pocket Passer	Colorado
12	T	Deontay Durant	Suwanee, GA	Pass Pro	Georgia
13	CB	Braydon Tabor	Clearwater, FL	Zone	Georgia
14	T	Trey Norwood	Palatine, IL	Pass Pro	Missouri
15	WR	Jeremiah Bowe	Miami, FL	Speedster	Miami

Notable_2027_Transfers

Name	Position	Old School	New School
CJ Carr	QB	Notre Dame	LSU
Grant Brix	T	Iowa	Iowa
David Stone	DT	Oklahoma	Coastal Carolina
Kingston Lopa	FS	Washington	USC
Talyn Taylor	WR	Georgia	Coastal Carolina
LeBron Bond	WR	Indiana	Ole Miss
Elijah Oehlke	WR	Wake Forest	Clemson
Bill Brown	WR	Tennessee	Ohio State
Kevin Wynn	DT	Auburn	Coastal Carolina
Joseph Jonah-Ajonye	DE	Georgia	Texas A&M
Gekyle Baker	WR	TCU}Ohio State
DJ Pickett	CB	Tulane	Texas A&M
Isaiah Garcia	T	Utah	Utah
Matt Zollers	QB	Missouri	Ohio State
David McComb	QB	Indiana	Indiana
Bryce Baker	QB	Buffalo	Louisville
Jaiden Patterson	SS	Duke	LSU
Gideon Davidson	HB	Auburn	Alabama
Chris Lawson	WR	UTEP	Notre Dame
Dareon Doctson	HB	Auburn	Coastal Carolina
Jeremiah McClellan	WR	USC	Coastal Carolina
DaShawn Spears	FS	LSU	Texas A&M
Matthew Baskerville	T	Tennesee	Clemson
Cliff Honeywell	QB	Texas	LSU
Weston Bryan	QB	South Carolina	Clemson

2027_Top_Classes

Team						Total
Penn State	4	18	6	0	0	28
Georgia	3	30	0	0	0	33
Ohio State	2	33	0	0	0	35
Nebraska	4	11	15	0	0	30
Miami	2	23	7	0	0	32
Oregon	1	18	10	0	0	29
USC	1	15	15	0	0	31
Clemson	0	21	7	0	0	28
Texas	1	16	10	0	0	27
Michigan	1	14	14	5	0	34
Coastal Carolina	0	20	12	0	0	32
Oklahoma	0	19	7	0	0	26
Ole Miss	1	11	15	0	0	27
Notre Dame	0	15	8	0	0	23
LSU	0	15	13	0	0	28

[AJ_Josh]

Damn tough way to go out and then to lose the OC and players transferring. Future is looking pretty good with 20 4 stars coming in.

[Agent]

Hell of an offseason

[Captain Canada]

Really caked up in the off-season with those transfer portal additions

[YaBoyRobRoy]

This is one of those classes we will look back on when you bring home the first natty.

[James]

Oh hell yeah on David Stone.

Tough loss in the playoffs, Underwood had a hell of a season though.

[The JZA]

Hold up, 14-1?

You stacked up for next szn, but we gonna need you to see Pissburgh and run that fade

[redsox907]

Damn tough way to go out and then to lose the OC and players transferring. Future is looking pretty good with 20 4 stars coming in.

Thanks man - it was tough but with the W&T piling up I had too many guys that weren't playing full games anymore. Hopefully with some more depth we can hit it hard again next year

Hell of an offseason

Really caked up in the off-season with those transfer portal additions

This is one of those classes we will look back on when you bring home the first natty.

WE MOVE

Oh hell yeah on David Stone.

Tough loss in the playoffs, Underwood had a hell of a season though.

He's a big boy - he gon eat

Hold up, 14-1?

You stacked up for next szn, but we gonna need you to see Pissburgh and run that fade

Just couldn't get it done when it counted

We'll be back - but the road will be tougher.

You can bet that Pitt pack going to be gas

[redsox907]

Coastal Carolina Goes "Nomad" With Eyes On 2030 Payout

Conway, S.C. — “Boys, we’re hitting the road,” Kade Vaughn said, leaning into the mic beside athletics director Chance Miller as Coastal Carolina announced it will compete as an independent in 2028. The Chanticleers—branded the Sun Belt’s “Bad Boys” and cleared of wrongdoing in last season’s gambling probe—were nevertheless encouraged by the league to move on, but they won’t join a new conference immediately.

“We had opportunities to jump right in,” Miller said. “The ACC and the American were both willing to add us today—but each asked for significant financial concessions because of the lingering stigma. We were cleared, but the perception remains. We’re not going to mortgage the brand for short-term security. We’ll enter 2028 as an independent with our eyes on the future.”

“We’re doubling down on us,” Vaughn added, drawing a roar from the room—and a quick side-glance from Miller.

Coastal Carolina declined immediate ACC admission at a steeply discounted payout and instead signed a two-season Independent “prove-it” term sheet that locks in ACC entry for 2030 if the Chanticleers meet performance and compliance benchmarks. The move prioritizes scheduling freedom and brand heat now, with the bigger, steadier league check later. As part of the broader realignment housekeeping around them, Charlotte will shift from the American to the Sun Belt to keep that league’s divisions balanced.

The ACC was prepared to take Coastal right away—just not at a price Coastal felt reflected its upside. Rather than accept a severely reduced share and cede control over windows and non-league inventory while the optics cooled, Coastal countered with leverage: go Independent, take the short-term financial grind, keep the scheduling megaphones, over-deliver on compliance, and arrive in 2030 with both résumé and receipts. It’s a hedge that doubles as a bet on the program’s rising ceiling.

The agreement itself is straightforward. Coastal will play three ACC opponents per year that count toward an ACC scheduling quota, maintain a non-conference showcase series with Clemson that does not count toward that quota, and operate under enhanced integrity rules: a third-party NIL clearinghouse with quarterly reporting to the ACC, a written gambling-funds firewall, and an annual independent audit with a public executive summary. The school posted a performance escrow and signed a grant of rights that activates upon 2030 entry on a ramped share; Olympic sports can remain in their current homes through 2029 or shift into the ACC a year early at the league’s option.

In plain financial terms, Independence can pencil for two seasons if Coastal lands two Power-opponent guarantees and a neutral-site check each year, supplemented by a modest home media package. It’s roughly break-even to a small deficit against a comfortable mid-major share—a cash-flow grind that the program believes is worth the brand control. The ramp in 2030 is the payoff: by Year 2 of membership, the ACC distribution realistically doubles or triples the Independent take, which is why the bridge was intentionally kept short.

The 2028 blueprint[

With no auto-bid as an Independent, the committee will judge Coastal on front-loaded scalp opportunities and a clean November. The term sheet requires three ACC opponents that count; Clemson remains a separate non-conference showcase, and Miami sits in the same carve-out bucket.

The card is designed like a prizefight. It opens with App State in Conway, a grudge match after the Dowell Loggains whistle-blower saga helped trigger last year’s probe. Week 2 sends the Chanticleers to No. 10 Notre Dame for national exposure, followed by a home date with rival Liberty. The non-ACC Power stretch closes at No. 21 Houston in Week 4, and the West Coast swing arrives immediately after at No. 19 USC in Week 5. A Week 6 bye is the only breath before the ACC quota begins.

Week 7 brings No. 14 North Carolina to Brooks Stadium as ACC Quota Game No. 1. The next Saturday is a non-conference blockbuster at No. 4 Miami, the defending national champion—a showcase that does not count toward the ACC quota but carries playoff-committee wattage. After that, Auburn comes to Conway in Week 9, a rare SEC helmet at Brooks. Week 10 is the Fiesta Bowl rematch at No. 7 Pittsburgh, which serves as ACC Quota Game No. 2. Week 11 is Clemson in Conway as the non-conference regional headliner. Week 12 sends Coastal to Michigan for Bryce Underwood’s return to the Big House, and Senior Day in Week 13 closes with No. 18 Duke, ACC Quota Game No. 3.

GameDay Roundtable

Pat McAfee: “Buddy, Kade Vaughn is literally betting on himself—figuratively, compliance people—and I’m here for it. The Pit Boss of the Palmetto just doubled down on teal, and this schedule screams, ‘see us, fear us.’”

Nick Saban: “Big-game hunting is boom-or-bust. As an Independent, there’s no auto-bid—so you have to hit the front end and close November. If you’re not built for four quarters every week, you can play yourself out of December in a hurry.”

Kirk Herbstreit: “And the committee lens is predictable: split the early heavyweight trips—Notre Dame, USC, even Houston on the road—then stack competence. You need people talking about you in Weeks 1–3 and again in Weeks 11–13.”

Saban: “It’s also a win-win for the ACC. If Coastal wins and stays clean, they’re locked in—and you keep the SEC, or anybody else, from poaching during the Nomad years. If they don’t measure up on the field or above board, the league dodges a bullet.”

McAfee: “The term sheet’s a hedge and a heater. The ACC keeps Coastal in view and on TV; if they hit twice, it’s a red-carpet on-ramp. If they stumble, the league kept its powder dry.”

Herbstreit: “Depth and travel management will decide this. September body blows show up in November legs. Rotate smart, practice smarter, and don’t let cross-country flights steal your fourth quarter.”

McAfee: “Clemson as a non-conference circus and Miami on the road? That’s brand-building with a sledgehammer. You land Auburn at home and go beat Pitt in that rematch? BOOM—teal paint on every highlight show.”

Saban: “Execution, not slogans. Handle the fronts, manage situational football—red zone, two-minute—and that schedule becomes an opportunity, not a trap.”

Herbstreit: “Win one of the true national road swings early, avoid the November slip, and the committee keeps you in every segment graphic. That’s the Independent formula.”

What A Successful 2028 Season Looks Like As Nomads

On the field, the bar is clear: split the early national swings (Notre Dame/USC/Houston), hold serve at home against the helmets (North Carolina, Auburn, Duke), and steal one late—at Pitt in the rematch or at Michigan on the biggest stage. Off the field, the audits have to be clean and the NIL reporting transparent; that’s the collateral the presidents will look at when the final ACC paperwork comes across their desks. Operationally, getting the entry mechanics papered by mid-2029 resets recruiting in ACC mode in time for the 2030 roster build.

Coastal didn’t just accept a probationary label; it designed it. The next 24 months are about making the ledger and the scoreboard say the same thing—so when the ACC door swings open, the Chanticleers aren’t a question mark but a headline act.

[Captain Canada]

Let's pack this schedule