The number sixty-six has enjoyed a long, successful career donning the backs of some of the great professional athletes of all time. From NHL superstar Mario Lemieux to NFL standouts Ray Nitschke and Conrad Dobler, the double six has long represented greatness. For Coastal Carolina football, the number has a little bit of a different connotation. It’s the exact figure of newcomers into the Chanticleer program this season.
“As a coach, you have to plan for this now,” CCU head coach Tim Beck told the media. “Not only do you have to teach them X’s and O’s, but you’ve got to find time to build culture. Build chemistry.”
Beck, along with offensive lineman Zac Elam and linebacker Shane Bruce, were in New Orleans on Tuesday for the annual Sun Belt Conference football media days. The Chanticleers are coming off an 8-5 campaign in 2023, complete with a victory over San Jose State in the Hawai’i Bowl. But the fear of the unknown may have affected CCU’s positioning in the preseason coaches’ poll. Coastal was tabbed third in the SBC East Division race, behind Appalachian State and James Madison.
Further, no Coastal player was named first team on offense or defense, so Beck’s squad has something to prove as it prepares to open preseason camp on Monday.
“This is a hungry football team now,” Beck confessed. “There’s no Grayson McCall that’s played four years as a starter. Everyone wants to play, and that’s exciting. We start Monday, and it’s on us right now. But having that competition, there’s nothing like it.”
CCU cranks up the brand-new season on Thursday, August 29th, in a nationally televised matchup at Jacksonville State. Last season, the Chanticleers beat the Gamecocks 30-16 in Conway.
CCU HC Tim Beck with OL Zac Elam and LB Shane Bruce — SBC Media Day Press Conference