CCU Football Notebook: Rabon named Chants’ punter

Entering Coastal Carolina’s first game week of the season there was one position battle that had not yet been publicly decided, and head coach Joe Moglia took care of that Wednesday in his weekly news conference.

True freshman Evan Rabon will open the season as the Chanticleers’ starting punter after edging out sophomore Masamitsu Ishibashi.

Ishibashi will handle kickoffs and work behind both Rabon at punter and junior place-kicker Ryan Granger on field goals as the Chants start the season Saturday night at Furman.

“It was very, very close between [Rabon] and Masa,” Moglia said. “Masa probably had a little bit of an edge, [but] Masa has had a little trouble just kind of handling the ball. But if Masa had to go in the game, he’d be OK. That’s how Evan ended up beating him out at that spot.”

Rabon averaged 37.3 yards on 40 punts last season for South Florence High School and replaces four-year starter Austin Cain, who averaged a program-record 39.2 yards per punt last season.

The Chants are replacing their entire kicking unit. Along with Rabon emerging, Granger is entering his first season as the starting kicker, freshman Connor Kubala takes over at long snapper and sophomore Tyler Keane takes over as the primary holder.

Rabon, Granger and Ishibashi could be used in multiple roles if need be.

“All three of those guys are going to be involved and all three can back up each other so I feel pretty good about that,” Moglia said.

Other roster notes

▪ Redshirt-freshman Anthony Chesley, who is expected to be part of a rotation at cornerback, sustained a mild ankle sprain this week in practice. Moglia said “he should be OK,” though.

▪ Senior Andre Johnson, the Chants’ third running back, has a “pull or a groin thing he’s been struggling with,” Moglia said, adding that he is questionable to play this week.

▪ After announcing last week that senior UAB transfer Daniel Anousheh had won the starting job at left guard, the Chants’ depth chart this week shows junior William Walker as the projected starter there ahead of Anousheh. Moglia did not announce any injury for Anousheh during his news conference Wednesday.

▪ Senior safety Richie Sampson, who continues to recover from a second major shoulder injury that ended his 2014 season, will not play this week.

Asked if any determination has been made on Sampson’s status for the season, Moglia said, “Not yet.”

▪ Offensive coordinator Dave Patenaude confirmed that touted freshman quarterback Chance Thrasher will redshirt this season.

“Unless everything totally falls apart, he’ll redshirt,” Patenaude said.

Focus on Furman and only Furman

Without any prompting necessary, Moglia opened his news conference Wednesday by reiterating that his team is focused only this first game and not what awaits in future years with the Chants’ announced move to the Sun Belt Conference.

“For us it’s not about what’s going to happen years down the road. It’s not even what’s going to happen at the end of the season,” Moglia said. “For us, we go through a very specific process and we recognize that each game we take on its own merits and own face value and we have to make sure we’re ready to go and well prepared for that.

“We can’t do that if we spend too much time talking about what might happen in three months or two weeks or two years. So our focus is clearly getting ready for the opening of the 2015 season.”

This story was originally published September 3, 2015 at 5:41 PM with the headline "CCU Football Notebook: Rabon named Chants’ punter."