CCU football sweeps Sun Belt awards, picked to 2nd in the SBC Eastern Division

NEW ORLEANS – Coastal Carolina football swept the 2022 Sun Belt All-Conference Preseason Awards, as Grayson McCall was named the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and Josaiah Stewart was tabbed the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

On top of their preseason player of the year honors, McCall and Stewart were both named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team. The duo was joined on the first team by offensive lineman Willie Lampkin and defensive back D’Jordan Strong.

Earning a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt second team was nose tackle Jerrod Clark.

Grayson McCall – Redshirt Junior

A two-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year (2020 and 2021), McCall picks up Preseason Offensive Player of the Year and preseason All-Sun Belt first-team accolades for the second consecutive season.

McCall set a new NCAA Division I FBS record in passing efficiency rating at 207.6 last season in 2021, eclipsing the previous two records set by Alabama’s Mac Jones (203.1) in 2020 and LSU’s Joe Burrow (202.0) in 2019. He enters the 2022 season as the active career leader in all of NCAA Division I FBS in career passing efficiency at 196.09.

Having gone 20-2 over the last two years as Coastal’s starting quarterback, McCall is also a two-time All-Sun Belt first-team selection and a two-time semifinalist for both the Maxwell Award and the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award (2020 and 2021). He was also a top-10 finalist for the 2021 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award last season after being named a finalist for the Manning Award in 2020.

Josaiah Stewart – Sophomore

A 2021 All-Sun Belt first team, the Massachusetts native shattered the CCU single-season sacks record with 12.5 sacks in his first collegiate season in 2021. His 12.5 sacks led the Sun Belt and were just one shy of the Sun Belt single-season record of 13.5 sacks. They also ranked fifth nationally and were the most by a true freshman in all of FBS on the year. He finished the season with 15.5 tackles-for-loss, which was the second-most in a single season in Coastal history, the most by a true freshman nationally, and ranked sixth in the Sun Belt. His 12.0 tackles-for-loss and 9.0 sacks in Sun Belt Conference play led the league.

Willie Lampkin – Junior

Named to the 2022 Rimington Trophy preseason watch list, Lampkin was named to the preseason All-Sun Belt first team.

Lampkin, who enters his junior year having started and played in all of CCU’s 25 games the last two seasons,
Tabbed a 2022 preseason all-conference first-team selection by both Phil Steele and Athlon Sports this year, Lampkin was the top-graded offensive lineman in eight different games last year for the Chanticleers. He totaled 20 knockdown blocks on the season and was the best offensive lineman in the 2021 Tailgreeter Cure Bowl win over Northern Illinois (Dec. 17), grading out at a team-high 98 percent with two knockdown blocks over 58 offensive snaps.

D’Jordan Strong – Super Senior

A two-time All-Sun Belt first-team selection (2020 and 2021) and the 2020 Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, Strong also earned a spot on the preseason All-Sun Belt first team for the second consecutive year.

Named to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl 1000 preseason list and both the 2022 Phil Steele and Athlon Sports Preseason All-Sun Belt second teams, Strong played and started in all 13 games for the Chanticleers in the defensive backfield last season. He led the team and was tied for second in the Sun Belt with 10 pass breakups on the year, while adding 26 tackles, including 19 solo stops on the season.

Strong recorded seven pass breakups in conference play, which ranked sixth in the Sun Belt, and anchored the “Black Swarm” defense that was second in the Sun Belt with the fewest passing yards allowed (190.3) and fewest points allowed per game (21.6). He registered a season-high four tackles and two pass breakups in the home win over UMass (Sept. 25) and also had four tackles in the 2021 Tailgreeter Cure Bowl win over Northern Illinois (Dec. 17).

Jerrod Clark – Redshirt Senior

Voted a team captain in the offseason, Clark was the lone Chant to be named to the preseason All-Sun Belt second team this year.

Last season, Clark played in all 13 games on the year, starting 11 contests on the defensive line. He totaled 33 tackles, including 4.0 tackles-for-loss, and 2.0 sacks, while adding two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry on the season. Clark had a season-high seven tackles in the 2021 Tailgreeter Cure Bowl win over Northern Illinois (Dec. 17)

2022 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON AWARDS 

Preseason Offensive Player of the Year 

Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina 

Preseason Defensive Player of the Year 

Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina 

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Offense 

QB – Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina 

RB – Rasheen Ali, Marshall 

RB – Camerun Peoples, App State
OL – Willie Lampkin, Coastal Carolina 

OL – Dalton Cooper, Texas State 

OL – Austin Stidham, Troy 

OL – Malik Sumter, Georgia State 

OL – Cooper Hodges, App State 

TE – Zack Kuntz, Old Dominion 

WR – Ali Jennings, Old Dominion 

WR – Kris Thornton, James Madison 

WR – Tez Johnson, Troy 

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Defense 

DL – Josaiah Stewart, Coastal Carolina
DL – Javon Solomon, Troy 

DL – Zi’Yon Hill, Louisiana 

DL – Will Choloh, Troy 

LB – Carlton Martial, Troy 

LB – Blake Carroll, Georgia State 

LB – Kivon Bennett, Arkansas State 

DB – Darrell Luter Jr., South Alabama
DB – D’Jordan Strong, Coastal Carolina
DB – Antavious Lane, Georgia State
DB – Eric Garror, Louisiana 

DB – Keith Gallmon, South Alabama 

Preseason All-Sun Belt First Team Special Teams 

K – Seth Keller, Texas State 

P – Rhys Byrns, Louisiana 

RS – Johnnie Lang, Arkansas State 

AP – Chris Smith, Louisiana 

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense 

QB – Chase Brice, App State 

RB – Nate Noel, App State 

RB – Tucker Gregg, Georgia State
OL – Travis Glover, Georgia State 

OL – Kyle Hergel, Texas State 

OL – Damion Daley, App State 

OL – Pat Bartlett, Georgia State 

OL – Nick Saldiveri, Old Dominion 

TE – Aubry Payne, Georgia State 

WR – Te’Vailance Hunt, Arkansas State 

WR – Jalen Wayne, South Alabama 

WR – Boogie Knight, ULM  

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense 

DL – Richard Jubinor, Troy
DL – Thomas Gore, Georgia State 

DL – Jerrod Clark, Coastal Carolina 

DL – Justin Ellis, Georgia Southern 

LB – Nick Hampton, App State 

LB – Abraham Beauplan, Marshall 

LB – Andre Jones, Louisiana 

LB – Trey Cobb, App State 

DB – Steven Jones Jr., App State
DB – Derrick Canteen, Georgia Southern
DB – Steven Gilmore, Marshall
DB – TJ Harris, Troy 

Preseason All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams 

K – Calum Sutherland, ULM 

P – Anthony Beck II, Georgia Southern 

RS – Camron Harrell, Southern Miss 

AP – Amare Jones, Georgia Southern 

2022 SUN BELT CONFERENCE FOOTBALL PRESEASON COACHES POLL 

East Division 

1. App State – 94 Points (10) 

2. Coastal Carolina – 77 Points (2) 

3. Georgia State – 68 Points (1) 

4. Marshall – 62 Points 

5. Georgia Southern – 35 Points (1) 

6. James Madison – 31 Points 

7. Old Dominion – 25 Points 

West Division 

1. Louisiana – 95 Points (12) 

2. South Alabama – 79 Points (2) 

3. Troy – 76 Points 

4. Texas State – 41 Points 

5. Southern Miss – 40 Points 

6. Arkansas State – 37 Points 

7. ULM – 24 Points