<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0wKIqE_0vE836mq00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0wKIqE_0vE836mq00" width="1585" height="1303" ><figcaption>A Jacksonville State running back is brought&nbsp;down on by a CCU defender on Sept. 9, 2023 at Brooks Stadium in Conway. Photo by Mike Duprez/info@myhorrynews.com</figcaption></figure>CONWAY | Coastal Carolina will unveil tonight which returnees and which newcomers will be expected to play significant roles in the 2024 season, including at the quarterback position.Head coach Tim Beck said Monday he won’t divulge his starting quarterback until the first offensive possession at Jacksonville State, and two have apparently emerged from a four-way competition and are the two with the most experience in redshirt sophomore Ethan Vasko and senior Noah Kim.Vasko started four of CCU’s final five games last year and went 3-1, including a win in the Hawaii Bowl, while Kim started the first five games of Michigan State’s 2023 season.North Carolina redshirt freshman transfer Tad Hudson and true freshman DJ Moore have also been competing for playing time under center.Coastal released a position depth chart for the opener at 8 p.m. tonight, but it features mostly returning players at starting positions.Last year’s initial depth chart released by Beck also featured mostly returnees, but it was misleading and unreliable as several transfers actually started in many of those positions, including grad student safety Clayton Isbell, who intercepted three passes in the opener against UCLA.Only four of the 22 offensive and defensive positions definitively feature newcomers.Defensively, they are lineman Sawyer Goram-Welch from Texas and defensive back AJ Williams from Wake Forest, who was voted a team captain by the players.Offensively, only Division II transfer guard Heston Edwards, and either Penn State transfer Malick Meiga or junior college transfer Cameron Wright – who are both 6-4 and at least 200 pounds – at a wide receiver position are newcomers that are definitively listed as starters.“Of the 66 new guys, there may be 35 of them that are going to help us, whether they’re starters, backup or special teams,” Beck said during fall camp “. . . We’re trying to get a feel of can this guy play, can he help us, what can he do, what’s he do well and how can we use him and fit in our scheme.“It’s almost like every year you’ve got a new team, so it’s become a lot harder to feel like Game 1 we’re exactly where we want to be at this point. Can you get there? Yeah. Do we have to shrink things down and try to keep it simple and let our guys go out and execute? That’s our job. We’ve got to get it done.”It might be a game or two before the Chants truly know who they can rely on and who will emerge as team leaders based on their play.“Compared to last year we definitely have a lot more leaders and everyone’s more mission-focused this year,” senior tight end Kendall Karr said. “We’ve put a big emphasis on that since January. . . . So we’re real excited to see who is really going to lead once the game is on the line.”Returnees to watchKarr (6-3, 245) is a Preseason All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team selection who is poised to improve upon his 23 catches for 239 yards and five touchdowns last year.“Kendall definitely has an improved, enlarged role. He’s one of those guys you can trust, right, and with that trust comes responsibility,” said CCU tight ends coach Kriss Proctor. “. . . He certainly has more of a role within the offense whether it be [catching] balls or different blocking assignments.”Redshirt senior Braydon Bennett, who has 1,754 career yards of offense at CCU, is still one of the more dangerous running backs in the conference after registering 607 yards on 91 carries and 23 receptions last season.“He had a great spring, he’s had a great fall so far and a great summer,” Beck said. “I’m really proud of him and his leadership. He’s grown up a lot. He looks good, he’s running good.” Sophomore Ja’Vin Simpkins (5-9, 190) from Miami returned 21 kicks and had 21 carries as a true freshman. “A tremendous young back that a lot of people don’t know much about,” Beck said. “He’s very dynamic, talented, great vision, great balance. A tremendous running back.”Redshirt sophomore tackle Nick Del Grande (6-4, 300), grad student tackle Zovon Lindsay (6-4, 300) and redshirt junior center Thomas Johnson (6-3, 300) of Aynor are expected to be stalwarts along the offensive line. Del Grande earned All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention as a freshman.At wide receiver, redshirt junior speedster Jameson Tucker (6-2, 190) had 20 receptions for 423 yards to set a school record with a 21.15 average per catch. “I’m looking forward to playing a bigger role in the offense this year,” Tucker said.Sophomore Bryson Graves (6-0, 180), a graduate of West Florence High, had 31 combined yards in the Hawaii Bowl victory over San Jose State on three carries and two receptions.“Bryson had a great game (in) Hawaii and I think he’s going to have a bright future,” Beck said. “He’s still young. He’s only played football a couple years but he’s athletic, he’s got great ball skills and change of direction. There’s no fear in him and he works extremely hard, so I’m really pleased with him.”Defensively, outside linebacker grad student Juan Powell has 168 career tackles and was the team’s leading tackler in 2023 among returning players with 55 to go along with six pass breakups.Also at linebacker, redshirt senior Shane Bruce is the signal-caller and a leader of the defense after making 52 tackles in 11 games last year. Senior Braylon Ryan and sophomore Wyatt Gedeon gained experience last year and are expected to contribute.“Shane is really elite mentally as a football player. He understands the game at a high level,” co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach Dan Carrel said. “He can make a lot of calls, knows where everyone is supposed to be. He can translate things that go on out there to the other players. So I’m leaning on him probably as much as I have any inside backer to be in control, at least in the front seven.”In the secondary, Matthew McDoom and Courtney Eubanks bring experience at cornerback, and at safety Tobias Fletcher, who started eight games, and Abe Temoney, who played in all 13 and was productive with 37 total tackles, 24 solo stops, three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries, including one returned for a touchdown, are all back.Grad student Will Whitson (6-5, 285) played a lot of productive snaps on the edge of the defensive line and is moving to the interior of the line, and Emmanuel Johnson (6-6, 275), a 2021 transfer from Georgia Tech, returns with length and experience on the edge.“We want to stop the run and earn the right to rush the passer, that’s our motto,” said defensive line coach and defensive run game coordinator Jimmy Brumbaugh.Newcomers to watchAlong a deep defensive line, Beck said he expects to receive production from a number of new players including Goram-Welch, senior edge rusher Deamontae Diggs (6-5, 260) from Youngstown State, junior Naejaun Barber (6-5, 310) from S.C. State, junior college transfers junior Cohen Fuller (6-3, 300) and sophomore TrayVaughn Swanigan (6-3, 270), and Division II redshirt sophomore transfer Ibrahim Diawara (6-3, 245).“There have been quite a few defensive linemen showing athleticism and quickness and twitchiness, which I really like, besides Will Whitson and Manny, guys who have been in our program,” Beck said. “So I’ve been pleased there.”In the secondary, Williams is joined by fellow safety Xamarion Gordon from Southern Cal.“I really like our safeties. . . . Two really good players who have had really good fall camps,” Beck said. “I feel very confident with those guys at safety, along with Tobias Fletcher and Abe Temoney, who started every game for us last year.”At cornerback, sophomore transfer Cristian Conyer from Tennessee, JUCO transfer sophomore Jaitlin Hampton, and freshman Zach Cody of Coppell, Texas, could press McDoom and Eubanks for playing time.“AJ Williams came in and now he’s one of our leaders, leading the whole DB group,” McDoom said. “[The transfers] got the opportunity here to come play, and they come here with their head down ready to focus, ready to get on the field and do what they can to help this team win.”At linebacker, redshirt senior transfer Barry Brown has a lot of experience at the Division II level and is expected to be immediately ready to play. Freshmen linebackers Se’Von McDowell and Geajorm Akpaloo impressed during fall camp.Redshirt junior tight end Cane Berrong (6-4, 230) transferred from Notre Dame prior to last season but suffered a knee injury and should have a role this season.Redshirt sophomore Christian Washington (5-10, 200) from New Mexico and redshirt junior Simeon Price (6-0, 215) from Mississippi State give the Chants more options in the backfield.“He looks the part. He can run, he can catch, he can do all the things we need him to do,” Beck said of Price.Washington is elusive enough to also be a kick returner for CCU. “He’s tough, hard-nosed, a good runner, great vision. Kind of a do-all,” Beck said. “He’s got great hands out of the backfield.”At receiver, in addition to Meiga and Wright, junior college transfer Tray Taylor will likely play in the slot, and grad student Senika McKie had 50 catches over the past two seasons at UNLV.Most of CCU’s transfers from what were Power Five conferences played sparingly at their previous school.“We’ve got a lot of new guys, I’m excited to get out there and see them play and do their thing,” Beck said. “. . . Having some of these guys come in, this competition has really helped our football team everyday, knowing they had to come in and practice really hard because guys are hungry and they’re fighting for jobs and playing time. So I saw a big difference in that this year.”Scouting Jacksonville StateNeither team has named a clearcut starting QB, as Gamecocks coach Rich Rodriguez said Monday he would have co-starters in Logan Smothers and Tyler Huff. He also didn’t rule out playing Zion Turner, who has also been in competition for playing time.Smothers, formerly a Nebraska transfer, threw for 735 yards last year with six touchdowns and ran for 322 yards and seven TDs as a co-starter in 12 games.Huff threw for 1,869 yards and 10 touchdowns with 591 yards and six TDs on the ground at Furman last season, and Turner transferred from Connecticut."We got a lot of them, and good ones too,” Rodriguez said in a press conference. “Right now, we don't play today so we aren't going to name a starter until kickoff. Both Logan and Tyler Huff are the two older guys and Logan has a little more experience in our system, but Tyler is an experienced player, played a lot of football. Those two are right now in my opinion co-starters and Zion Turner is right behind them as well.”Jax St. went 9-4 last year in its first season at the FBS level and is established by Las Vegas sportsbooks as the second or third favorite to win Conference USA, behind favorite Liberty and behind Western Kentucky in most odds rankings.Coastal defeated the Gamecocks 30-16 in Week 2 last year behind 268 yards passing and a touchdown by Grayson McCall and 170 yards from scrimmage and two scores by Jared Brown – both of whom have transferred.It was the Gamecocks’ only loss in their first six games last season. They went on to become one of just six teams to win nine games in their transition season and win the Carriers New Orleans Bowl over Louisiana, 34-31.Rodriguez, an offensive specialist who has previously coached at West Virginia, Michigan and Arizona, focused on the run last season as the Gamecocks gained 236.7 yards rushing per game, the third-most in the nation.Redshirt senior offensive lineman Clay Webb was a big part of it, as he was earned second team All-America honors from the Associated Press and Walter Camp Football Foundation.Whoever starts at QB, Jax State will likely play fast on offense, as it did against the Chants last season.“Going into it I think we have a better idea of their tempo this year,” Bruce said. “Last year I don’t think we realized how fast they were, and this year we’re going in really prepared for their tempo.”Jax State's defense was opportunistic and stingy in 2023. It ranked 32nd in FBS with 21.15 points allowed per game, ranked 42nd with 352.8 yards allowed per game, recorded 93 tackles for loss, and forced 25 turnovers with 16 interceptions and nine fumble recoveries.The Gamecocks have a new defensive coordinator this season, however, as Zac Alley was hired away by Oklahoma and was replaced by Luke Olson, a former Tulsa DC who spent last season as a defensive analyst at TCU.“We’re not really sure what they’re going to do [defensively], so I think adjusting to what they do early offensively will be a big key for us,” Beck said.Like CCU, Jax State has flipped much of its roster as it has about 60 players who are new to the program. So scouting the opponent has been a difficult task for both teams.“We don't know a whole lot about them,” Rodriguez said. “I think we probably have more guys that they're familiar with, if you look at our depth chart, but at the same time, they've got the same coaches.” Thursday’s gameWho: Coastal Carolina (0-0) at Jacksonville State (0-0)When: 8 p.m. (Eastern)Where: AmFirst Stadium, Jacksonville, AlabamaOccasion: Season openerTV: CBS Sports NetworkRadio: WRNN FM 99.5 FM and WRNN.netLine: Jacksonville State -3</div></body>

Mountain View, CA

NewsBreak

CCU vs. Jacksonville State: Who will be impact transfers and returnees in the season-opener

CONWAY | Coastal Carolina will unveil tonight which returnees and which newcomers will be expected to play significant roles in the 2024 season, including at the quarterback position. Head coach Tim Beck said Monday he won’t divulge his starting quarterback until the first offensive possession at Jacksonville State, and two...

CCU vs. Jacksonville State: Who will be impact transfers and returnees in the season-opener

Comments / 0