SUN BELT FOOTBALL COMPANION GUIDE • ALPHABETICAL 3 OF 14
2026 Season Snapshot • Conway, South Carolina
6-6 (5-3 Sun Belt)
SBC
Live schedule, lines and results for Coastal Carolina.
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HEAD COACH
Ryan Beard — 1st season at Coastal Carolina
LIFETIME COACHING RECORD
19–16 (3 seasons, Missouri State)
Became Missouri State's head coach in Dec. 2022 at age 33, the youngest in school history, and led the Bears through their FCS-to-FBS transition into Conference USA. A defensive-minded coach who built his reputation on player development; hired by Coastal Carolina days after Tim Beck's Nov. 30 firing.
COASTAL CAROLINA ATS RECORD
No single published career ATS figure
Coastal Carolina finished 2025 at 6-6 (5-3 Sun Belt) under Beck, bowl- eligible but closing on a 3-game losing streak that included a 59-10 loss to James Madison — the specific collapse that triggered his firing just before the bowl game.
HEAD COACH SALARY (2026)
$800K
TEAM NIL VALUATION (EST.)
Not disclosed
PRIMARY NIL COLLECTIVE
Not publicly named
Coach salary per HERO Sports/USA Today (reported first-year figure; Beard made $450K at Missouri State in 2025). Coastal Carolina has not disclosed a team NIL figure. The program is still paying fired coach Tim Beck a $1.75M buyout after his Nov. 2025 termination, on top of Beard's new salary.
OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Nick Petrino • 1st season • Multiple
New hire tasked with fixing an offense that averaged just 22.8 ppg in 2025. Inherits a genuine open competition at quarterback between Deuce Bailey and Trever Jackson, with a new offensive line coach (Nick Gilbert, from Michigan's 2023 title staff) brought in to upgrade the trenches.
DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR
Multiple • Beard's system
Beard, a defensive-minded head coach by trade, is expected to have direct influence on a defense that surrendered 33.9 points per game in 2025 — the specific unit his hire was meant to fix.
2025 RECORD
6–6 (5–3 Sun Belt)
Closed the regular season on a 3-game losing streak, including a 59-10 blowout loss to James Madison, prompting Beck's Nov. 30 firing before a bowl game that interim DC Jeremiah Johnson oversaw.
HOME FIELD
Brooks Stadium
Artificial turf (Shaw PowerBlade), Conway. A program that peaked under Jamey Chadwell (back-to-back 11-win seasons, 2020-21) and has fluctuated since — Beard's hire is a real bet on recapturing that early-2020s identity.
| SLOT | PLAYER | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QB1 | Deuce Bailey | RS-Fr | ★★★★★ | In a genuine, undecided competition with Trever Jackson entering fall camp — the clearest single storyline of Coastal Carolina's 2026 season under the new coaching staff. |
In a genuine, undecided competition with Trever Jackson entering fall camp — the clearest single storyline of Coastal Carolina's 2026 season under the new coaching staff.
| PLAYER | POS | YEAR | HS Stars | NOTES |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Line under new staff | OL | — | ★★★★★ | New OL coach Nick Gilbert (Michigan's 2023 national title staff, coached two Joe Moore Award semifinalist units) tasked with upgrading a line that must protect whichever QB wins the job. |
New OL coach Nick Gilbert (Michigan's 2023 national title staff, coached two Joe Moore Award semifinalist units) tasked with upgrading a line that must protect whichever QB wins the job.
| PLAYER | POS | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Front seven under new staff | DL | Beard's defensive background is expected to directly shape a front seven that must fix a unit which allowed 33.9 points per game in 2025. |
Beard's defensive background is expected to directly shape a front seven that must fix a unit which allowed 33.9 points per game in 2025.
| PLAYER | POS | HS Stars | NOTES / NFL OUTLOOK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary under new staff | DB | ★★★★★ | Part of the defensive overhaul under Beard; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses. |
Part of the defensive overhaul under Beard; specific 2026 starters to be confirmed as fall camp progresses.
2025 ATS
6-7
46.2% cover rate — 43rd of 82
2025 Straight up
6-7
Point differential -142
Scoring environment
55.2
Combined points per game — 24th highest of 82
Home / road ATS
3-3 · 2-4
Totals 8-5 O/U (3-3 home, 5-1 road)
Points scored / allowed
22.2 per game scored (67th) · 33.1 allowed (77th)
Margin & schedule
Margin of victory -10.9 (76th) · Strength of schedule -7.9
SRS power rating
-13.3
75th of 82 — projected points vs. a league-average team on a neutral field
Offensive SRS
-7.2
69th of 82
Defensive SRS
-14.4
81st of 82
Points (margin of victory)
-10.9 · 76th of 82
Against the spread
6-7 (46.2%) · 43rd of 82
Totals (combined PPG)
55.2 · 24th of 82
Computed from CollegeFootballData 2025 results and closing consensus lines.
Saved Just J research for Coastal Carolina.
Beard's reported $800K salary is a significant raise from his $450K at Missouri State, but still well below predecessor Tim Beck's $1.15-1.5M — Coastal is paying for upside, not a proven Power 4-caliber name.
Coastal allowed 33.9 ppg in 2025 against a 22.8 ppg offense — a real, lopsided split that directly shaped the decision to hire a defensive-minded head coach.
Neither Deuce Bailey nor Trever Jackson has established himself as the clear 2026 starter — a real open competition heading into a new coaching staff's first season.
A new OL coach with real Power 4 pedigree (Michigan) is a genuine upgrade signal — worth tracking early protection numbers as evidence the hire is translating to the field.
Notes are maintained in the Admin area — no code changes required.
