Talking season rolled into the “Big Easy” this week as the Sun Belt Conference held its two-day media event in New Orleans. On Tuesday, Commissioner Keith Gill and members of the league’s West Division said their piece about the conference and the upcoming season. Wednesday, it was the East Division’s turn, and that included Coastal Carolina University.
First-year head coach Tim Beck, along with quarterback Grayson McCall and linebacker JT Killen, made the rounds to preview the 21st season of CCU football. Both of the players referenced a different attitude within the program, noting “finishing” as their mantra for the year. McCall pointed out that he’s put on nearly twenty pounds of what he calls “good” weight and that he feels great heading into fall camp. The redshirt senior has been plagued by injuries throughout his career at CCU.
The media tour also gave the Chanticleers’ new head coach a chance to lay out his vision for the program. Beck, a longtime assistant coach who spent the past couple of seasons at NC State, inherits a team that finished 9-4 last year, dropping a 53-29 decision to East Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl.
Coastal will begin the new season at UCLA in a nationally televised contest from Los Angeles. The Chanticleers were picked to finish third in the SBC East Division preseason rankings by a vote of the league’s coaches earlier this week.
