Jamey Chadwell helps lead Liberty to new heights

When Liberty hired Jamey Chadwell last December, it turned heads across the college football landscape.

The Flames were hiring arguably the top coach from the Group of Five level after what he accomplished at Coastal Carolina the previous three seasons, amassing a 31-6 record during that time. Following the 2020 season, Chadwell earned a laundry list of Coach of the Year Awards including the AP College Football Coach of the Year, the Walter Camp Coach of the Year, and the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year.

Many had pointed to former Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze for the success of the team in its new FBS tenure. Certainly the Flames had plenty of success during that four year stretch, winning at least eight games and advancing to a bowl game in each season while knocking off numerous Power Five opponents including Arkansas, Virginia Tech, and Syracuse. However, Liberty Director of Athletics Ian McCaw and all of Flames Nation wanted to prove the program wasn’t just a one hit wonder and could have great success in the post-Freeze era.

Additionally, Liberty hiring Chadwell from Coastal Carolina in the Sun Belt, a former rival of the Flames from the programs’ time as Big South members, effectively ended that rivalry. There’s no coming back from that. Imagine North Carolina basketball hiring Mike Krzyzewski from Duke, it would be the end of the rivalry.

During his first season on the Mountain, Chadwell led the Flames to unprecedented success in 2023. Liberty enters bowl season with a perfect 13-0 record and is one of four undefeated teams in the country, joining Florida State, Michigan, and Washington. Chadwell guided the Flames to an unblemished 8-0 regular season record in Conference USA and a 49-35 win over New Mexico State in the CUSA Football Championship game.

Behind this success, the Flames were positioned to receive their first-ever invitation to play in a New Year’s Six bowl game. Liberty will square off against No. 8 Oregon in the VRBO Fiesta Bowl on January 1st at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

“I would say he’s ahead of schedule,” said McCaw. “To be able to come in here, year one, and blend the existing roster with the recruits and transfers, and build a staff and create the cohesiveness is just extraordinary.”

Liberty enters the matchup against the Ducks ranked No. 18 in the latest Associated Press poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll. The Flames were ranked in the final three College Football Playoff rankings, a first in program history, and finished No. 23 in the last CFP rankings.

Chadwell and his staff had to help the team navigate through some uncharted territory. Due to the coaching change, the Flames saw approximately half of its scholarship players turn over in the matter of months. Liberty brought in dozens of new players that would have to blend with the returners who were having to adjust to the new coach’s philosophy and system.

Add to that Liberty having a true quarterback competition in the spring and into the summer and the death of a teammate during training camp. It was a lot for Chadwell to navigate through, and he did so, perfectly.

“I saw some real encouraging signs over the summer,” McCaw said of the football team. “I was really impressed how quickly the team had galvanized and really come together, but you can’t expect in a first year to have a 13-0 season, a championship, and New Year’s Six bowl game.”

Chadwell and his staff have had a lot of accomplishments during their careers, but none top the feeling they had when learning Liberty had earned the Fiesta Bowl bid to take on No. 8 Oregon.

“Seeing that logo and the Fiesta Bowl versus who we are playing, because you didn’t know if it was going to happen or not, there was just exhilaration,” Chadwell explained. “There was joy. There was emotions, tears, because of where you come from.”

Chadwell got his first head coaching opportunities at Division II North Greenville. Another DII stop at Delta State was followed by a stay at one of the smaller Division I schools in the country at Charleston Southern. Chadwell would then land at Coastal Carolina, who was transitioning from FCS to the FBS, first as offensive coordinator and head coach in waiting before taking over as the head man.

Along all of those stops, many members of Chadwell’s staff have been along for the ride. Co-OC and QB Coach Willy Korn, Co-OC and RB Coach Newland Isaac, and Co-DC and DL Coach Skylor Magee have bee a part of each of those stops Chadwell made.

“For our coaches, myself, we get knocked all the time – we are not Power Five, you’ve never had experience at the Power Five,” said Chadwell. “You can only dream of playing in an opportunity of playing in the Fiesta Bowl. To be able to have that happen, we all started at Division II, that’s how we view ourselves. To be able to have that happen. To be able to play and compete in one of the premier bowls in this country, that’s special for us and where we came from.”

Behind this staff, this season Liberty has the nation’s No. 1 rushing attack, averaging 302.9 yards per game, having rushed for a school record 3,938 yards and 39 touchdowns. The Flames also rank No. 1 in tackles for a loss allowed, No. 2 in sacks allowed, No. 2 in first down offense, No. 2 in time of possession, No. 3 in total offense, No. 3 in team passing efficiency, No. 2 in passing yards per completion, No. 4 in third-down conversion percentage, and No. 5 in scoring offense.

“When you come from smaller levels and you don’t think you necessarily have the opportunity to do something like this, it opens up and you get that opportunity,” said Chadwell. “Just a special moment for us and our staff because of where we came from and what we’ve done together. That’s what I’m thankful for more than anything, we’ve been together a long time. The only people who would have believed this would have happened would be the people in that circle. I’m ecstatic for them because they all get knocked for not being at certain levels and they get the opportunity to play at the highest level on January 1. Special, special day. One that that feeling and seeing that released on TV there, I will never forget it.”