Coastal Carolina Football: 5 New Faces to Watch In 2021

The Chants’ 2021 signing class ranks Top Five in the Sun Belt conference by both 247sports and Rivals.

Coastal will be keeping a lot of dominant players this season with the NCAA granting all fall athletes from 2020 an extra year. Fans will be able to cheer on some dominant returners, including quarterback Grayson McCall, defensive lineman C.J. Brewer, offensive lineman Trey Carter, and linebacker Teddy Gallagher, after a successful 2020 record breaking season.

Coastal Carolina signed 16 recruits in the 2021 class, including five from the state of South Carolina, that will contribute to the team. Offensively, they signed four wide receivers, three offensive lineman, two running backs and a quarterback. Defensively, four defensive backs, a linebacker/safety, a linebacker and a defensive end.

So, which of these faces should you keep a particularly close eye on this season?

5. Chris Rhone, WR

Chris Rhone is a 6-4, 190-pound wide receiver from Grey Collegiate Academy in Columbia, South Carolina. At Grey Collegiate, the three-star recruit played wide receiver and defensive back. He was named one of the top high school football players to watch in 2020 by The State. Rhone totaled 30 catches for 508 yards and two touchdowns his senior year. While being a star player on the football field, he also lettered in basketball, where he was a two-time state champion.

4. Max Balthazar, RB

Max Balthazar is a 5-11, 195-pound running back from TRU Prep Academy/University School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Due to University School not playing in the 2020 season, he played his senior season at TRU Prep Academy. Balthazar totaled 89 carries for 630 yards and seven touchdowns his senior year.

3. Ze’marion Harrell, LB

Three-star Ze’marion Harrell is a 6-1, 220-pound outside linebacker from Salem High School in Virginia Beach, VA. Harrell signed his letter of intent to Coastal on Dec. 16, 2020. Although Harrell missed his senior season in 2020 due to the pandemic, he totaled 118 tackles, 8.0 sacks, 60 tackles-for-loss, four interceptions, and one touchdown his sophomore and junior seasons.

2. Josaiah Stewart, DT

Mid-year transfer Josaiah Stewart is a 6-2, 245-pound 3-star recruit at defense end. According to ESPN, he is ranked as the No. 6 prospect in the state of Massachusetts by ESPN. Stewart helped lead his team at Everett High School in Everett, MA his junior year with a recorded 30 tackles, 7.0 sacks, and 14 tackles-for-loss

1. Tre Douglas III, S

6-2, 200-pound redshirt junior played three years at Vanderbilt University before transferring to Coastal Carolina in January 2021. Douglas played in 11 games in 2019, with two tackles, one a solo stop. Coming into college, he was a four-star recruit playing at cornerback for Eagle’s Landing Christian Academy.