Saturday, Nov. 21, 2009

Coastal Carolina program a model for others

CONWAY -- In the years following Coastal Carolina's meteoric rise, the university became a popular stop for fledgling programs hoping to duplicate its success.

Coaches from two programs in particular, FCS Old Dominion and Division II UNC Pembroke, spent time with coach David Bennett and his assistants, picking their brains on everything from building a roster to building relations in the community.

Yet Bennett didn't hand over the blueprints. Instead, he encouraged them to enhance his strategy.

"Do a little better job than I did as a head football coach is what I told them," Bennett said. "...We had a few transfers mixed in there, but if I had to do it again, I would have a few more and have [the classes] spread out. which are technically three or four seniors classes rolled into one. So, I'd try to space them out a little more."

The Chanticleers avoided the growing pains early, but they've experienced them ever since the program's mass exodus following the 2006 campaign. Even if Coastal (5-5) wins today's finale at Charleston Southern, the Chants will be just 17-17 over the past three seasons.

Looking back now, Bennett wishes he would have infused more transfers from FBS schools and junior colleges into the program early on, potentially avoiding having so many people leave at once.

"He said, 'Bring in transfers, specifically on the offensive and defensive lines, to allow yourselves to redshirt as many true freshmen as you can,'" ODU coach Bobby Wilder said, recalling a conversation with Bennett.

Heeding Bennett's advice, Wilder and his staff scoured the country's junior colleges, signing a bevy of players with two years of eligibility remaining. Coastal had only a handful of upperclassmen in its inaugural season, but ODU's first-year roster has one senior, 18 juniors, nine sophomores, 26 freshmen who are playing and 13 freshmen who are redshirting.

Wilder and Co. have already established the balance in classes that Bennett is still trying to find.

"Ever since I talked to coach Bennett, my eye has been on that spring of 2013 graduating class and trying to reduce the numbers in that class as much as possible," Wilder said.

The Monarchs (8-2), who play VMI today, have also seen the immediate benefits of bringing in talented transfers. When they defeated North Carolina Central two weeks ago, they became the winningest first-year program in FCS history, besting Robert Morris' 1994 squad (7-1-1) and Coastal's 2003 squad (6-5).

UNC Pembroke, which just completed its third season, has also reached unprecedented heights after following Bennett's lead. The Braves became the fastest start-up program to reach the Division II playoffs this season and were the first independent school to reach the postseason since 2002.

UNCP has relied on recruited freshmen but has also used transfers, including former Conway standout Hivera Green, to supplement its roster.

"When we got started we kind of used Coastal as a model in some of the areas," UNCP coach Pete Shinnick said. "It gave us a model of where we could be if you kept guys around and did things the right way. ... In year two, we went 9-1 and year three we're the fastest to make the playoffs."