How Coastal Carolina added to its large 2020 football recruiting class on Wednesday
Coastal Carolina signed five players to national letters of intent on Wednesday to nearly complete its 2020 incoming football class at 24 players.
Wide receiver Kameron Brown is a graduate transfer from Charleston Southern, defensive tackle Travis Geiger is a junior college transfer, and the other three signees out of high school Wednesday are rated three stars by national recruiting services, giving the Chants an all-time high of 17 three-star prospects in the 2020 class.
CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell said he believes several incoming recruits will have an opportunity to play immediately and fill some of his team’s needs. Eleven recruits enrolled at CCU in January and are taking part in spring practices that began Wednesday, so they’ll have a jump on their freshman seasons.
“I think it’s huge to get acclimated to school at a slower pace than the fall,” Chadwell said. “In the fall you’re trying to learn a new place, you’re trying to learn how to play football, it’s hard. Here they can acclimate to the education part of it a lot easier, and from a football standpoint they can go through spring and go through our weight training program. Right now some of them are swimming uphill, but 15 practices after this they’re going to know what it’s like. It’s a big advantage.
“Our talent is increased immensely by those guys being here, and the positions they play,” Chadwell continued. “They’re all raw and new but those guys will all, I think, have a chance to contribute to our team next year, which is a big deal.”
The Chanticleers signed 19 players on Dec. 18 in the early signing period, including four junior college transfers.
Overall, 13 signees are on defense and 11 are on offense. “We had a bunch [of needs] obviously,” Chadwell said.
The Chants added two cornerbacks, six linebackers, three defensive ends and two defensive linemen on defense, and four running backs, three wide receivers, a tight end and three offensive linemen offensively.
Chadwell said after the December signing period that he was still targeting an offensive skill player, at least one more offensive linemen and the best available defensive players during this signing period, and he hit on all of those Wednesday.
In addition to Brown and Geiger he signed running back Isaiah Connelly from Orlando, Florida, offensive lineman Mason Bowers from High Point, N.C., and outside linebacker Charles Steele of Lawrenceville, Georgia.
The recruits are from nine states, predominantly in the Southeast, including seven from Florida and four from South Carolina, and one is from Canada via a junior college.
Coastal still has a couple scholarships to give, and Chadwell is eyeing additions through the NCAA transfer portal or junior college.
“You might see us sign one or two more,” Chadwell said. “We have a couple spots left and we’ve been pursuing some people that we weren’t going to sign on signing day – they weren’t going to sign on signing day – that we’re still on. So I’m hoping we can finish that up.”
Chadwell is entering his second season as head coach but this is his first true recruiting class because he was promoted from offensive coordinator to head coach last January after CCU had already signed the bulk of its 2019 class.
He was also the acting head coach in his first season at CCU in 2017 when then head coach Joe Moglia took a medical sabbatical for the season, then resumed his associate head coach and offensive coordinator duties in 2018.
The large 2020 recruiting class will help the Chants replace players lost through the transfer portal.
Five current CCU scholarship players have entered the NCAA transfer portal in an attempt to leave the program, including starting redshirt freshman linebacker Cincir Evans and backup redshirt freshman wide receiver Jai Williams and backup redshirt sophomore linebacker Michael Makins. The Chants lost significant players including three starters to the portal last offseason as well.
“I’m not disappointed at all, truthfully,” Chadwell said. “. . . At the end of the day you want guys that value what you value and want to be a part of what we’re building. If they’re not, and don’t believe in those things and value those things, then they’re hurting you.
“. . . From a depth standpoint, from maybe having bodies out there, does it hurt you? Yeah. But we’ll be a lot better in our locker room, we’ll be a lot better in the areas there that will help our team become better.”
While transfers are immediate losses they aren’t always immediate help. Graduate transfers can play immediately but undergraduates will likely have to sit out a season unless they receive a hardship waiver to instantly play from the NCAA.
The Chanticleers went 5-7 overall in 2019 for the second consecutive season and have finished 2-6 in the Sun Belt Conference in each of their three seasons since moving up to the Football Bowl Subdivision level from the Football Championship Subdivision.
Class of 2020 signees
Offense
▪ RB – CJ Beasley+ (5-10 * 175 * Norfolk, Va./Maury HS): ESPN’s No. 73 RB in the class of 2020. Rushed for 1,808 yards and 24 TDs on 216 carries as a senior to help his team win the Virginia Class 5A state title with a 15-0 record, its first title since 1939.
▪ RB – Braydon Bennett+ (6-2 * 180 * Greenville, S.C./Southside HS): Top-40 prospect in S.C. by 247Sports. Played RB, WR and safety at Southside High and missed nearly all of 2019 with injury after leading Class 3A in rushing in 2018 with 2,048 yards and 29 TDs on 214 carries. Two-time state and AAU Club Nationals champion in the 110m hurdles (2018, 2019) also plans to run track at CCU. Son of former USC and NFL player Brandon Bennett.
▪ RB – Shermari Jones (6-1 * 215 * Cantonment, Fla./Independence C.C./Tate HS): In two seasons at Independence CC in Kansas, rushed for 873 yards and 9 TDs and caught six passes.
▪ RB – Isaiah Connelly+ (5-9 * 190 * Orlando, Fla./Edgewater HS): Named the 2019 Orlando Sentinel’s Offensive Player of the Year, was runner-up for the Florida 7A Player of the Year award. Had 338 carries for 2,300 yards and 23 touchdowns his senior season. Broke Derrick Henry’s state record with 157 rushes in playoff games in 2019.
▪ WR – Tyson Mobley (6-0 * 170 * Longwood, Fla./Master’s Academy): Invited to play in the Florida vs. Georgia HS Showcase and Central Florida All-Star Game. Caught 40 passes for 857 yards and 12 TDs as a senior, with 1,126 all-purpose yards and three interception returns for TDs for a Class 2A state title team. Father John Mobley played 8 seasons with the Denver Broncos, winning two Super Bowls.
▪ WR – Fred Jackson (5-10 * 185 * Lake Minneola, Fla./New Mexico Military Institute/Lake Minneola HS): A 2019 NJCAA All-America honorable mention as a return specialist. Totaled 2,579 all-purpose yards in two years at NMMI with 1,024 rushing yards, 480 receiving yards and 1,075 kick return yards.
▪ WR – Kameron Brown (6-3 * 220 * Graniteville, S.C./Charleston Southern University): Graduate transfer was named All-Big South second team with 42 catches for 545 yards and 10 TDs as a redshirt senior in 2019.
▪ TE – Logan Mauldin+ (6-3 * 220 * Charlotte, N.C./Myers Park HS): Lined up at WR and TE and caught 17 passes for 294 yards and five touchdowns his senior season.
▪ OL – Willie Lampkin+ (6-1 * 295 * Lakeland, Fla./Lakeland HS): Blocked for Clemson signee Demarkcus Bowman, ranked No. 2 among 2020 RBs by 247Sports and Rivals. Was the Class 3A state runner-up at 285 pounds in wrestling.
▪ OL – Tyler Wagner+ (6-5 * 285 * Lilburn, Ga./Parkview HS): Blocked for 7-7A Region Player of the Year and Touchdown Club of Gwinnett All-County Running Back of the Year Cody Brown, who rushed for 1,600 yards and 20 TDS in 2019. Also lettered in basketball.
▪ OL – Mason Bowers+ (6-4 * 290 * High Point, N.C./High Point Central High School): Played on both the offensive and defensive lines and also lettered in basketball at High Point Central. Was named a Greensboro News & Record All-Area honorable mention.
Defense
▪ NG – Rayquan Jones+ (6-1 * 285 * Rome, Ga./Rome HS): Totaled 37 tackles, including 21 solo stops, 8 sacks and 12 tackles for loss over his last two seasons at Rome High. Part of two state title teams.
▪ DT – Travis Geiger+ (6-4 * 295 * Columbus, Ohio/Highland C.C.): Ranked as high as the ninth-best defensive tackle in Ohio and 80th-best defensive tackle nationally in the junior college class of 2020 by 247Sports. Totaled 29 tackles including 12 solo stops in eight games in 2019.
▪ DE –James Johnson+ (6-2 * 245 * Port St. Lucie, Fla./Vero Beach HS): Ranked a top-100 defensive end in the class of 2020 by 247Sports Composite. Totaled 66 tackles, 13 for loss, 3.5 sacks and 13 QB hurries over his final two years at Vero Beach High.
▪ DE –Wilt Gabe II (6-3 * 250 * Montreal, Quebec/Independence C.C./Montmorency College): Will have three seasons of eligibility. Played sparingly at Independence Community College in Kansas. Made the 2017 Elite Combine Series Quebec Invite List his senior year of high school.
▪ DE – Braylon Ryan+ (6-2 * 240 * Greenwood, S.C./Greenwood HS): Played DE and TE for Greenwood High. Named all-state as a senior TE and also had 80 tackles including 15 for loss and 14 sacks.
▪ LB – Shane Bruce+ (6-0 * 210 * Carrollton, Ga./Central HS): Played OLB and RB at Central High and was named the 2019 Georgia 5-4A All-Region Co-Defensive Player of the Year after recording 86 tackles, including 62 solo stops, and two interceptions.
▪ LB – Mason Shelton+ (6-2 * 215 * Maryville, Tenn./Maryville HS): Ranked No. 37 overall prospect in Tennessee in the class of 2020 by Rivals. Won two state titles and as a senior had 129 tackles, including 62 solo, 17 for loss, 6.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
▪ OLB – Shon Brown+ (6-2 * 220 * Clover, S.C./Clover HS): Rated as high as No. 23 prospect in SC in class of 2020, recorded 72 tackles, 24 for loss, 7 QB hurries 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery as a senior.
▪ OLB – Aaron Diggs+ (5-11 * 200 * Auburn, Ala./Auburn HS): Played safety, LB and RB at Auburn High. Switched from defense to offense early in senior season and rushed 268 times for 1,605 yards and 19 TDs and caught 19 passes for 485 yards and 7 TDs. Born in Germany, he has also lived in Texas, Georgia and Hawaii.
▪ OLB – Isaiah Stephens (6-3 * 185 * Daleville, Va./Lord Botetourt HS): Named the 2019 Virginia Region D Player of the Year and the 2019 Blue Ridge District Player of the Year after recording 138 total tackles including 46 for loss and 28.5 sacks as a senior.
▪ OLB – Charles Steele (6-2 * 235 * Lawrenceville, Ga./Collins Hill HS): Named All-Region 6-7A and Gwinnett All-County first team in 2019 after recording 63 tackles, including 41 solo stops, and seven sacks.
▪ CB – Manny Stokes Jr.+ (5-10 * 165 * Orlando, Fla./Lake Nona HS): Named the DB MVP at the Nike Opening Camp in Orlando Florida in the spring of 2019 and was invited to play in the Florida vs. Georgia HS Showcase and Central Florida All-Star Game. As a senior totaled 1,533 all-purpose yards and had three returns for touchdowns, four interceptions, five pass breakups, and two forced fumbles.
▪ CB – D’Jordan Strong (5-11 * 175 * Batesville, Miss./Northeast Mississippi C.C./South Panola HS): Ranked No. 25 CB in the JUCO class of 2020 by 247Sports and No. 32 prospect in Mississippi in the class of 2018 by Rivals. Part of a defensive unit in 2019 that led the NJCAA in passing defense at 126.6 passing yards allowed per game.
+ Rated three stars by ESPN, Rivals or 247Sports
This story was originally published February 5, 2020 at 2:43 PM.
