Five-time National Coach of the Year finalist Joe Moglia, who proved that his business prowess translated well to the world of college football, stepped down as Coastal Carolina University head football coach Friday.

“I have decided to step down as the head coach of the football program,” said Moglia, who plans to stay involved with the program in an executive advisory role. “As part of the succession plan that I, President David A. DeCenzo and Director of Athletics Matt Hogue believe is best for the program, to turn that responsibility over to Jamey Chadwell.”

Chadwell, a two-time FCS National Coach of the Year finalist and three-time Big South Coach of the Year, served as interim head coach in Moglia’s absense during the 2017 season. He becomes the third head coach in Coastal Carolina football history.

“I was saddened when Coach Moglia informed me that he was going to step down as our head coach,” Chadwell said. “He is an incredible mentor to not only me but also for all of the young men in our football program, past and present, and has helped develop countless student-athletes that have gone on to great success in life after football. … I am excited to build on the great foundation that Coach Moglia has put in place here as we continue to move forward in becoming one of the best programs in the Sun Belt.”

Moglia’s decision ends a remarkable tenure that saw the Chants reach the top levels of FCS and make the transition to the FBS as a member o the Sun Belt Conference. In six seasons (2012-16, ’18) on the sidelines at Coastal, Moglia posted an overall record of 56-22.

After a 29-28 overall record, including going just 1-9 versus the two best teams in the Big South, over the five years prior to Moglia, the Chanticleers went a combined 51-15 over his first five years at the helm of the program, including winning four conference championships (2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016*) and qualifying for the NCAA Football Championship Playoffs all five seasons.

During that span, the Chanticleers finished each year ranked in the top 25 nationally and ranked as high as the No. 1 team in the country in both 2014 and 2015. CCU also won the program’s first-ever postseason game in 2012, won a league-record 12 games and reached the NCAA quarterfinals in 2013, and went on to match both those feats the following season in 2014.

The Chants were ranked No. 1 in the FCS for eight straight weeks in 2015 and went on to go 10-2 in 2016, their first year in transition to the FBS level. CCU struggled to a 3-9 mark in 2017 while Moglia sat out to battle a medical condition, but he returned to help the Chants go 5-7 in 2018.

“Our 2018 team was one of the youngest in the nation, we had a significant scholarship deficit to our competition, and we had six new coaches working together for the first time,” Moglia said. “In the 2019 season, we’ll still be young, but far more experienced. We will be much closer to 80 scholarships, and our staff has experience working together as a whole. We all believe that the future is bright for Coastal Carolina football. We also have tremendous confidence in Coach Chadwell as well as the rest of the staff.”

Chadwell finished fourth in the FCS National Coach of the Year voting in 2015 and eighth in 2013 and on the field led CSU to two conference titles, as well as the NCAA Division I FCS Championship Playoffs twice. A 2018 Broyles Award nominee, an award given to college football’s top assistant coaches, Chadwell has been the associate head coach, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Chanticleers for the last two seasons. He served as the interim head coach for the 2017 season due to head coach Joe Moglia taking a medical sabbatical.

In 2018, the Chants’ offense led the Sun Belt and ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing yards per game, red zone offense, time of possession, first downs and both third and fourth-down conversion percentage for much of the season.

– Photo courtesy of CCU Athletics

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