Liberty has hired Coastal Carolina coach Jamey Chadwell, the university announced Sunday. The two sides have agreed to a seven-year contract that will pay Chadwell an average of $4 million per year, according to multiple reports. Chadwell replaces former Liberty coach Hugh Freeze, who left to take over at Auburn.
Chadwell built the Chanticleers into a Sun Belt Conference power. He was 39-22 with the program during his five-year stint and posted 11-win seasons in 2020 and 2021. The Flames won the conference in 2020 when they finished ranked No. 14 in the final AP Top 25. He is 1-1 in two appearances in the Cure Bowl.
Chadwell is widely known as one of the most innovative offensive minds in the country. His 2020 Chanticleers finished with the top offense in the Sun Belt when they averaged 494.7 yards per game and 7.74 yards per play. He developed a star quarterback in Grayson McCall, who will finish out his career in a bowl game and potentially find a home at the next level.
Chadwell is also known for a rushing attack that uses a variety of different blocking schemes to get running backs open in space. His offenses have produced two, 1,000-yard rushers and finished in the top three in the Sun Belt in rushing offense in two of the last three seasons.
He takes over a Flames squad that has elevated itself into a real threat under the four years of the Freeze era. They went 34-15 over the last four years, won all three of their bowl games and finished the 2020 season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top 25. That success laid the groundwork for its move from an independent to Conference USA, which Chadwell will lead heading into the 2023 season.
