-
Pete ThamelESPN
Liberty has targeted Coastal Carolina‘s Jamey Chadwell to be the school’s next head football coach, sources told ESPN.
There’s mutual interest, according to sources, but no deal has been struck, nor has Chadwell made a final decision about leaving.
Chadwell is waiting until after the Sun Belt championship game to make a final decision on his future, sources told ESPN. Coastal Carolina plays at Troy in the conference title game on Saturday afternoon.
Liberty has come into focus as a potential destination if Chadwell chooses to leave after declining multiple other suitors, per sources. Multiple reports on Thursday mentioned varying levels of Liberty’s interest in Chadwell.
Chadwell has been one of the best coaches in the sport the past three years, going 31-5 at Coastal Carolina. Overall, Chadwell is 39-21 in five years there. He has prior head-coaching experience at Charleston Southern, Delta State and North Greenville.
In 2020, Coastal Carolina started 11-0 — including a high-profile victory over No. 8 BYU — and rose to the top 10 in the Associated Press poll. Chadwell won 11 national coach of the year honors that year, as Coastal became one of the best stories in the sport.
Chadwell’s offense, with a running quarterback as a focal point, has emerged as one of the most innovative in the sport.
Liberty’s job became open after coach Hugh Freeze left for Auburn. Liberty had just agreed to pay Freeze an average of $5 million per year in a new deal signed prior to his departure.
Liberty’s offer to Chadwell is unknown, but Liberty’s administration prides itself on being among the best resourced in the Group of 5.
Liberty is poised to join Conference USA next season, and the Liberty program is considered the one with the most resources in that league. Liberty has been a full-time FBS program for only five years. Freeze went 34-15 in his four years there.