CONWAY – Ending 2020 on a high note.
Coastal Carolina head coach Jamey Chadwell was elected by fans as the first college football coach for Premier Players, Inc. announced on Thursday.
According to the Coastal Carolina Athletics, the Premier Coach Award is awarded to the coach that fans voted the best in their sport through online surveys. Candidates are announced about a month before the end of the regular sports season. The fans then vote not only for the coach with the best team record in the regular season, but for the coach who felt they led their team beyond expectations during the season that brought hope and enthusiasm.
Chadwell was also named 2020 coach of the year Walter Camp, the Associated Press coach of the year, Sporting News coach of the year 2020, coach of the year CBS Sports / 247 sports and Paul “Bear” Bryant Group of 5 Conference Coaches of 2020 of the Year.
The Caryville, Tennessee native was also named the 2020 Sun Belt Coach of the Year and the 2020 Werner Ladder AFCA FBS Region 2 Coach of the Year. He is also a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant Coach of the Year award and the Eddie Robinson Award as coach of the year, presented by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), and George Munger College Coach semifinalist of the year award.
Chadwell led the Chanticleers to the Sun Belt Conference’s first co-championship and bowl appearance this season. The 11-0 result in the Coastal Carolina regular season was the best in the history of the Sun Belt and the highest number of victories Chants have accumulated since joining FBS in 2017. Two of those victories were against the top 20 opponents ( BYU and Louisiana-Lafayette).
Coastal Carolina’s lone defeat came against former Big South rival Liberty at the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl in Orlando, Florida on Saturday, 37-34, in overtime.
Chadwell made the Chants rise to 9th in the AP ranking, a Sun Belt record for any FBS survey, 12th in the College Football Playoff Poll and 11th in the Amway Coaches Poll with the support of USA Today Sports, both Records Sun Belt, respectively.
Previous winners:
2019 – Ed Orgeron – LSU
2018 – Nick Saban – Alabama
2017 – Scott Frost – UCF
2016 – Dabo Swinney – Clemson
2015 – Kirk Ferentz – Iowa
2014 – Jimbo Fisher – State of Florida
2013 – Gus Malzahn – Auburn