CONWAY – Coastal Carolina won’t have a chance to compete for a conference title or a spot in the playoffs this football season, but that didn’t bother the Chanticleers as they opened practice Thursday.
It ushered in a transition year for Coastal Carolina as they prepare to join the Sun Belt Conference and Football Bowl Subdivision. They won’t have full membership in the FBS until 2018, so they’ll miss out on certain postseason and championship opportunities until then. But that doesn’t detract from their drive as the enter another season.
“Same mindset,” senior running back De’Angelo Henderson said. “On offense, we just want to be the best offense out there, out in the country. The defense, they want to be the best defense in the country. So it’s the same mindset going into it. We understand that we can’t really play for anything. But we’re playing for pride.”
The Chanticleers climbed into the upper echelon of the FCS ranks the last few years under coach Joe Moglia before deciding to leave the Big South for the Sun Belt. They’ll compete in their new conference and be eligible to win its title next year. They’ll have a chance to play in the postseason starting in 2018.
