NCAAF teams
Pete Thamel, ESPN 1y

Liberty hires Jamey Chadwell; sides agree to 7-year deal, sources say

College Football, Liberty Flames, Coastal Carolina Chanticleers

Liberty is hiring Jamey Chadwell as its new coach, with sources telling ESPN that Chadwell has agreed to a seven-year deal that averages more than $4 million per year.

Chadwell has been one of the best coaches in the sport the past three years, going 31-6 at Coastal Carolina. Overall, Chadwell is 39-22 in five years there. He has prior head-coaching experience at Charleston Southern, Delta State and North Greenville.

"To have the opportunity to take this football program to the next level in Conference USA, to compete for conference championships, starting in 2024 we're going to start competing for the CFP," Chadwell said in a news conference. "That's our ultimate goal. Everything that we do will be working towards that."

Liberty (8-4) will face Toledo in the RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl on Dec. 20.

Coastal Carolina fell to Troy 45-26 in the Sun Belt title game Saturday in Chadwell's final game at the school. The Chanticleers will face East Carolina in the TicketSmarter Birmingham Bowl on Dec. 27.

The Chanticleers have hired NC State offensive coordinator Tim Beck to be their new head coach.

In 2020, Coastal Carolina started 11-0 -- including a high-profile victory over No. 8 BYU -- and rose to the top 10 in the Associated Press poll. Chadwell won 11 national coach of the year honors that year, as Coastal Carolina became one of the best stories in the sport.

Chadwell's offense, with a running quarterback as a focal point, has emerged as one of the most innovative in the game.

The Liberty job became open after coach Hugh Freeze left for Auburn. Liberty had just agreed to pay Freeze an average of $5 million per year in a new deal signed prior to his departure.

Liberty is poised to join Conference USA next season, and the program is considered to have the most resources in that league. Liberty has been a full-time FBS program for only five years. Freeze went 34-15 in his four years there.

"We're certainly excited to have [Chadwell], and we're certainly excited to match him with our players and our facilities and resources," Liberty athletic director Ian McCaw said. "We think some really special things can happen."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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