‘That type of skill set’: Could tight end Isaiah Likely do in NFL what he’s doing at CCU?
Isaiah Likely took a leap of faith when he elected to attend Coastal Carolina.
He was a big receiver in high school who was being recruited to play wide receiver at several colleges, but tight end at CCU.
It was a position that had been forsaken in the Chanticleers’ passing game in the few years preceding Likely’s arrival on campus in 2018.
In 2017, his final year of high school in Massachusetts, CCU tight ends caught five passes for 49 yards – not in a game; for the season.
He trusted the CCU coaches who told him the position would become more prominent in the offense, and had faith that they wouldn’t be able to resist putting his talents to use.
He was right.
The junior has emerged as perhaps CCU’s most dangerous playmaker to help the Chants (9-0) reach No. 18 in the College Football Playoff ranking, and he is expected to have an opportunity to prove himself in the NFL when he chooses to leave school.
“He’s a special, special player. We think he’s a next level player,” CCU head coach Jamey Chadwell said. “He’s 6-4, 250 and he runs really well. He’s very gifted from a standpoint of being able to run and being very physical and strong, just a natural strength. He’s got great hands.
“The way the NFL is and the way they use tight ends I do think he has a good shot of having a chance to continue his playing career beyond college. He has that type of skill set.”
Likely has 17 receptions for 423 yards and four TDs in eight games this season – which are all second or third on the team – for an average of 24.9 yards per catch, which is in the top five in the country.
His production has come despite missing a game and otherwise playing through an undisclosed lower body injury that will require surgery after the season, according to Likely and Chadwell.
“He’s got a lot of toughness,” Chadwell said. “He was banged up and we’re trying to work him back in slowly and the last couple weeks he’s gotten accustomed to his injury and playing through the pain, and he’s had two really big games the last couple weeks and he’s a huge part of our offense. He makes us very dynamic.”
Likely combines size, speed, power and good hands. He can run as fast as some receivers and said he hasn’t been timed in the 40-yard dash, instead judging his speed based on what occurs on the football field.
“Film don’t lie. I’ll outrun secondary players, I’ll outrun linebackers,” Likely said. “I don’t really know how technically fast I am. I know it’s fast enough to score.”
A move south to Conway
Former CCU recruiting director Cory Bailey is a Massachusetts native and was close to Likely’s high school coach at Everett High outside Cambridge, and he also recruited starting nose tackle Jerrod Clark from his home state.
Likely had other offers from Southern Mississippi, Massachusetts and numerous FCS offers.
He said Coastal was the only school that explicitly stated it wanted him to be a tight end, though the coaches envisioned a hybrid-type position where he would move from being along the line to the slot and even out wide – things he had done in high school.
He had about 215 pounds on his 6-foot-4 frame entering college, and put on weight to be able to play as a freshman, which he did.
He played in all 12 CCU games in 2018 and caught 12 passes for 106 yards, including five TDs that tied for the team lead.
“I put on a lot of weight fast, not really getting real control of my body,” Likely said. “So freshman year I not kind of struggled, but the game was really fast, a lot of things were happening in my mind. So going into sophomore year I tried to watch a lot more film, tried to get good control of my body weight, spent some time in the offseason working on things like routes, blocking, getting steps down, stuff like that.”
He continued working in the weight room and became more comfortable with his weight as a sophomore.
“I could do everything I do at 237 pounds, as fast as I am, blocking defensive linemen, linebackers, safeties, corners, everybody, and being an effective pass catcher,” he said.
While still splitting time with Clemson graduate transfer Shadell Bell as a sophomore, Likely became a bigger part of the offense with 32 catches for 431 yards and another five TDs.
He strived to do more.
“After that I became a no-name in the Sun Belt, a no-name just around,” said Likely, who feels the game has slowed down in his mind this year. “So going into the offseason going into this year I just preached to myself to watch a lot more film, understand defenses and the schemes and pickups that they do, then just really working on hand-placement in blocking and just really becoming the best tight end in my conference and one of the best in the nation.”
An emerging talent
Likely’s skills have allowed CCU’s offensive coaches to be more versatile with game plans.
“He’s a guy you can put his hand on the ground and he can play a traditional tight end and block and do some of the things in the running game, then he’s skilled enough to put him out in the slot and put him in some different positions to go win some one-on-one matchups, and he’s done that a lot,” Chadwell said. “He’s a matchup problem for a lot of different people. . . . That has helped us expand what we like to do. A lot of your tight ends, maybe they can run but they can’t block as much. With him he does both well. You don’t know, with him in there, exactly how we’re going to line up.”
Likely is somewhat hobbled by his injury and said it requires a high threshold for pain. But he’s not about let it keep him off the field. He has played in eight of CCU’s nine games, and laments the one he missed.
“The pain is bad, don’t get me wrong, but when you’re winning and having fun on the field, doing your dream, you can deal with a little bit of pain,” he said. “The game I did sit out, Lafayette, yeah I was hurt but I was more hurt not being out there with my brothers. So I can deal with pain from an injury rather than pain from not playing the sport I love.”
The injury may be impacting Likely’s effectiveness, but he can still be a game-breaker despite it. After CCU fell behind four-time defending Sun Belt Conference champion Appalachian State 7-0 two weeks ago on the game’s opening drive, Coastal’s answer came on its first offensive play. Grayson McCall hit Likely for a 75-yard touchdown pass down the middle of the field, with two defenders chasing helplessly behind.
Even at less than full strength, Likely’s skills, buoyed by the added exposure from Coastal’s success this season, have caught the attention of both opponents and NFL scouts.
“[My coaches] know what I bring to the table and understand I can play at the next level,” Likely said. “. . . I was thinking about that daily but my coach was like, ‘Hey, you can do it but the way you’re going to do it is do what you do day in, day out at practice and in games. So just relax and do what you do, and every scout is gong to want you.’ ”
Likely will be eligible for the NFL after the season but said he will return to play at CCU next year.
“I now know that I am capable of playing at the next level. It’s great hearing it from other people, but once you believe it yourself it’s just like a different type of feeling,” he said. “. . . It’s a great feeling knowing that my dream will come true, if not next year then the year after.”
The season has been surreal for Likely and his teammates, as the Chants are undefeated, ranked in the top 18 of the two major polls and the College Football Playoff rankings, and will host ESPN College GameDay on Saturday prior to a matchup with AP No. 8 BYU at Brooks Stadium.
“College GameDay still feels like a dream to be honest,” he said. “. . . If you watched the games last year, if you looked at the scores, you understood out of five games we lost last year we lost by 24 points. We preached that going into this year like if we correct these minor details, if we build the chemistry, if we trust one another to the extent that I’ve got your back as much as you’re willing to go, we could be the best team in this conference.
“Understanding that going into the season and playing every game like it was our last, you can see we’ve got interest from around the world for our celebrations and the way we play, you can see Coastal Carolina football having fun day in and day out, game after game. I just love playing football. So the fact that we’re playing football and we’re getting national attention, it’s like a big dream.”
Saturday’s Game
What: No. 13 BYU (9-0) at No. 18 Coastal Carolina (9-0)
When: 5:30 p.m.
Where: Brooks Stadium, Conway, SC
Broadcast: ESPNU
Radio: WRNN 99.5 FM
Online: www.goccusports.com
This story was originally published December 3, 2020 at 4:33 PM.
