What prepared Chadwell to replace Moglia, and his plan for Coastal Carolina football

Jamey Chadwell came to Coastal Carolina with eight years of collegiate head coaching experience, during which he compiled a 60-36 record.

He was a two-time Football Championship Subdivision national coach of the year finalist and three-time Big South Conference Coach of the Year in four seasons at Charleston Southern, and also coached at North Greenville and Delta State.

Yet he wanted to gain more knowledge under Coastal Carolina head coach Joe Moglia before taking on his next head coaching opportunity, and believes he’s more equipped to be successful as a Football Bowl Subdivision coach because of his two years at CCU.

He went 3-9 as Coastal’s interim head coach while Moglia took a medical leave, and spent last year’s 5-7 campaign as the offensive coordinator and associate head coach in the Chants’ second season with an FBS schedule in the Sun Belt Conference.

“I think being around Coach you see the game a little differently, the way he does, so I think you’re better for that,” said Chadwell of Moglia, who resigned his coaching position Friday. “By far I feel like I’m better because of the experience, especially in 2017 going through that, of being the interim and trying to make those decisions and that learning experience, then being able to sit back and really see how coach is trying to run his program from now being the coordinator.

“So I’ve got two different ways of seeing [things], so I think that has really prepared me for this opportunity.”

Though much about the program will remain the same with Moglia still involved as executive director of football operations and chairman of the athletics department, Chadwell will bring some changes.

While Moglia ran the program and practices like a CEO, overseeing much of each practice from a distance, Chadwell expects to be more of a hands-on participant each day.

“I’ll be more involved in the day to day as far as practice wise and being in drills and some of those things,” Chadwell said. “I like to try to bring some energy to some of those, so that’ll be a little different. That’ll probably be the major difference.”

Chadwell said he likes the Be A Man (BAM) and Life After Football (LAF) aspects that Moglia brought to the program and plans to continue them in some form, even after he separates from Moglia. BAM requires players to be responsible for their actions, live with the consequences of their actions and treat others with dignity and respect. LAF includes weekly talks about off-field issues.

“I do like the philosophies and the things we try to build the program on,” Chadwell said. “Now, my personality is different obviously from coach so maybe the way I implement it will be different here and there.”

Chadwell, 42, a Tennessee native and East Tennessee State graduate, said he learned of Moglia’s resignation Thursday night and accepted the promotion to head coach, though he said details of his head coaching contract still have to be worked out, including length and salary.

Moglia was making a base salary of $400,000 annually with paid incentives for team success on the field and in the classroom. That pay is among the lowest for an FBS head coach, and according to a USA Today study, Sun Belt coaches make between $390,000 and $850,000 per year in base salary.

Chadwell was hired at $185,000 annually and said that was set to increase this year in the third and final year of his contract.

“I trust that the administration will put together something for us that is a good contract,” he said. “That will come down the line here. We’ll figure out the details later on.

“I expect it to be something similar to what any head coach going into the Sun Belt would get,” Chadwell continued. “We’re a unique situation because we just bumped up [to FBS] so I’m sure it’s not going to be the average of what a current Sun Belt head coach in the conference makes. It would be great if it’s more but that’s not something I’m expecting.”

Chadwell has an opening for an offensive coordinator and plans to hire one soon. He had one in all four of his years as Charleston Southern’s head coach and said the two would corroborate on a game plan and share play calling duties during games, with Chadwell making the bulk of the calls.

“We’ll see where we’re at and if we feel good about the direction we’re headed whether I’ll still call [plays] or let a coordinator actually do it,” Chadwell said.

Chadwell has featured a spread option offense at Charleston Southern and Coastal but said a coordinator who runs a similar offense isn’t a necessity.

“We’ve recruited toward that so whatever we do will be similar to what we’re doing. That doesn’t mean we won’t tweak things,” Chadwell said. “I don’t care as much about what system somebody comes in with, my main focus is I have to get the right people for the young men in the program, that I know have our young men’s best interest at heart. They’re going to coach them not coach for a paycheck.”

Chadwell met with recruits on campus on Saturday in his first full day as head coach.

The Chants have up to four more scholarships to give in this recruiting class, with 22 already signed in the early signing period. The final signing period begins Feb. 6.

The Chanticleers were one of the youngest teams in the country last year with a number of freshmen, redshirt freshman and sophomore starting and contributing, so there should be improvement in 2019.

“I think we’re heading in a good direction. As we saw this year we made some strides but the teams that are very good in our league we’re not close to yet. How do we close that gap?” Chadwell said. “And so I think it’s a good opportunity to come in and put my stamp on the program the way I want to run it and hopefully try to close that gap.”

Chadwell went 35-14 in four years at Charleston Southern and 20-6 over his final two seasons at North Greenville in 2010 and 2011 after an initial 2-8 record.

Georgia Southern was reportedly interested in him for its head coach opening after the 2015 season, and he was reportedly considered for both Furman and Tennessee-Chattanooga head coach openings after the 2016 season before joining CCU.

Moglia believes he has a suitable successor.

“I feel excited about what we’ve built and the foundation we have. I feel excited about Jamey and his staff and I feel excited about the direction we’re headed in,” Moglia said. “I have every confidence in him succeeding me. I felt like it was a privilege that we got him to begin with.”

Chadwell said a few schools contacted this offseason about coach openings but he planned to at least fulfill his three-year contract with CCU.

“I did talk to a few schools, but that had nothing to do with this situation,” Chadwell said. “I had committed to [Moglia] through my contract for sure and I still had a year left.”

Chadwell wants to continue reaching out for community involvement for the growing football program and university.

“You’re humbled by it . . . to be able to represent this university, represent the city of Conway, the community of Conway as the head coach,” Chadwell said. “Hopefully this is Conway’s team; that’s what we’re trying to make it be like. And hopefully Carolina Forest, we hope this local community will rally behind us and rally behind this team and me. I’m thankful for that and I want them to know that we’re going to do everything we can to make this program the best that it can be.”

Staff writer David Wetzel contributed to this report.

This story was originally published January 21, 2019 at 11:22 AM.