No stranger to coaching in the state of South Carolina, Chad Staggs, who from 2013-16 guided some of the nation’s top defensive units at Charleston Southern under head coach Jamey Chadwell, joined the Coastal football staff as the linebackers coach in February 2019. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in July of 2019.
Since coming to Coastal, Staggs has helped mentor three All-Americans on the defensive side of the ball in Tarron Jackson (2020), C.J. Brewer (2020), and Josaiah Stewart (2021).
In 2021, he switched to overseeing the safeties group after coaching the inside linebackers in 2019 and 2020.
With a veteran-led defense in 2021, the Chanticleers outscored all their opponents 532-281 on the season. Coastal was one of only four teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-25 in both total offense (5th) and total defense (25th), one of only seven teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-30 in both most first downs on offense (25th) and fewest first downs allowed on defense (27th), and one of only eight teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-25 in both scoring offense (5th) and scoring defense (25th).
Staggs’ defense ranked in the top 35 nationally in several categories, placing 16th in passing defense (190.3 ypg), 25th in scoring defense (21.6 ppg), 25th in total defense (339.5 ypg), and 32nd in red zone defense (77.5 percent).
True freshman defensive end Josaiah Stewart was named to the 2021 FWAA Freshman All-American team, The Athletic’s 2021 College Football Freshman All-American team, ESPN 2021 College Football True Freshman All-American team, 2021 247Sports True Freshman All-American team, and the 2021 Pro Football Network (PFN) All-American third team, while also picking up 2021 Phil Steele All-American honorable mention accolades and being named a semifinalist for the 2021 Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award.
Stewart, who was joined on the All-Sun Belt first-team for defense by D’Jordan Strong, C.J. Brewer, and Silas Kelly, set all new Coastal Carolina single-season records.
Stewart shattered the CCU single-season sacks record with 12.5 sacks in his first collegiate season in 2021, which also led the Sun Belt, ranked fifth nationally, and were the most by a true freshman in all of FBS. His 12.5 sacks were also just one shy of the Sun Belt single-season record of 13.5 sacks. He finished the season with 15.5 tackles-for-loss, which was the second-most in a single season in CCU history, while his double-digit tackles-for-loss was the most by a true freshman nationally in 2021. His 15.5 tackles-for-loss also ranked sixth in the Sun Belt on the season and was just 0.5 tackles-for-loss shy of the school single-season record of 16.0.
Also earning 2021 All-Sun Belt honors on the CCU defense was Jeffrey Gunter who earned a spot on the second team, while safety Alex Spillum was named to the third team. Linebacker Teddy Gallagher and Spur Enock Makonzo garnered honorable mention honors.
Tabbed a 2020 Broyles Award nominee, an award given annually to college football’s top assistant coach, Staggs’ “Black Swarm” defense swarmed the Sun Belt Conference in 2020 in playing a pivotal part in the Chanticleers winning the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference title. CCU posted an 11-1 overall mark, including an 8-0 Sun Belt Conference record, and played in the program’s first-ever FBS postseason bowl game.
The 2020 season marked Coastal Carolina’s first-ever undefeated regular season and the first time that the Chanticleers were ranked in either the Associated Press Top 25 Poll or the Amway Coaches Poll presented by USA Today Sports.
The Chanticleers posted two wins over FBS top 25 nationally-ranked opponents, the first two such victories in program history, four wins over top 50 opponents, and was ranked as high as No. 9 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll and No. 11 in the Amway Coaches Poll, both Sun Belt Conference records. The Chanticleers were also ranked as high as No. 12 in the College Football Playoff rankings, also a Sun Belt record.
In 2020, the Chants led the Sun Belt in fumble recoveries (9) and was second in interceptions (16), which also ranked third nationally. CCU led the Sun Belt in turnovers forced (25) and in turnover margin (+13), which both ranked among the nation’s best at the end of the 2020 season.
The defense was also second in the Sun Belt in scoring defense (20.2 points per game), second in sacks per game (2.83), second in fourth-down conversion percent defense (44.4 percent), third in first downs defense (223), third in fewest passing yards allowed (204.2 yards per game), third in fewest rushing yards allowed (147.7 yards per game), third in tackles-for-loss per game (6.4), third in total defense (351.9 yards per game), and fourth in third-down conversion percentage defense (38.0 percent).
The team also ranked first in the conference and second nationally in fewest penalties per game (3.67), and was second in the Sun Belt on the season in both fewest penalties (44) and fewest penalty yards (428).
Individually, bandit end Jeffrey Gunter led the nation with six forced fumbles while cornerback D’Jordan Strong ranked third nationally in total interceptions with five. Three different Chants ranked in the top-five of the Sun Belt Conference in total sacks in Tarron Jackson (8.0), C.J. Brewer (6.5), and Jeffrey Gunter (6.5), while two inside linebackers in Silas Kelly and Teddy Gallagher led the team in tackles on the season with 80 and 76, respectively.
Jackson went on to pick up 2020 Consensus All-American honors and was named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation (first team), Associated Press (first team), FWAA (first team), American Football Coaches Association (first team), ESPN (first team), Reese’s Senior Bowl (first team), Phil Steele Publication (first team), Sporting News’ (second team), CBS Sports/247Sports (second team), and Senior CLASS (second-team) All-America teams, while C.J. Brewer earned Associated Press (third team) and Phil Steele Publication (honorable mention) All-America honors.
Jackson was also named a finalist for the Lombardi Award, the Lott IMPACT Trophy, and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, and was also a Bednarik Award semifinalist, a William V. Campbell Trophy semifinalist, and earned a spot on the Ted Hendricks Award watch list before being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the sixth round (191st overall pick) of the 2021 NFL Draft.
The team earned 16 selections to the 2020 All-Sun Belt team, including 10 first-team selections. The individual honors for the defense included Jackson being named the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Strong being tabbed the Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year, while both were joined on the All-Sun Belt first team along with Gunter and Brewer. Linebacker Silas Kelly was named second-team All-Sun Belt, Teddy Gallagher, and Alex Spillum earned a spot on the third team, and Enock Makonzo was tabbed an honorable mention.
In just the first season under Staggs, the defense improved in every area from 2018 to 2019, as the “Black Swarm” defense led the Sun Belt in fewest first downs allowed (241), was third in interceptions (11), fourth in scoring defense (30.5 points allowed per game), fourth in total defense (383.6 yards per game), fourth in rushing defense (160.1 yards per game), fifth in fewest passing yards allowed (223.5 yards per game), and sixth in red-zone defense (85.7 percent).
Junior defensive end Tarron Jackson led the Sun Belt and set a new Coastal single-season record with 10.0 sacks on the season and also led the team and ranked fifth in the Sun Belt with 13.0 tackles-for-loss, of which 9.5 came in conference play. Redshirt senior cornerback Chandler Kryst at one point led the nation and finished seventh in all of NCAA FBS with five interceptions on the season.
Three Chants on the defensive side of the ball earned Sun Belt Conference postseason honors, as Jackson was named to the All-Sun Belt first team, becoming only the second Chant to earn first-team all-conference honors since Coastal Carolina joined the Sun Belt in 2017. Earning second-team honors was Kryst, while defensive tackle C.J. Brewer, nose tackle Sterling Johnson, and linebacker Teddy Gallagher were all named to the All-Sun Belt third team.
Staggs came to Coastal in the winter of 2019 after two years as Furman’s defensive coordinator and safeties coach from 2017-18.
In 2018, Staggs helped the Paladins earn a share of the 2018 Southern Conference championship, the program’s league-best 14th title, going 6-2 in league play, and winning six of their final seven games.
He mentored freshman bandit Adrian Hope in 2018, who finished the regular season with 32 tackles, 16.5 tackles-for-loss, and 15.0 sacks for losses of 65 yards. His sacks total, the most-ever by a Paladin freshman and third-highest season tally in program history, led the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) nationally. Hope was a finalist for the STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award, which is presented annually to the top freshman player in the FCS, and the Blanchard-Rogers Award, given each year by the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame to the Palmetto state’s top player. Hope was also named a second-team Associated Press All-American, a 2018 HERO Sports FCS All-America third team member, and garnered HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-America honors.
Hope (media first team), defensive lineman Jaylan Reid (media second team), and defensive back Aaquil Annoor (media second team) all earned Coaches All-Southern Conference second-team honors in 2018 under Staggs’ leadership.
With only one senior in its two-deep in 2017, Staggs led a reinvigorated unit that produced a league-leading 34 sacks that helped key the Paladins to an 8-5 record, the program’s first FCS playoff berth since 2013, and a consensus No. 20 final ranking in the FCS poll. Annoor earned consensus All-SoCon honors after totaling 64 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups.
Prior to his two years at Furman, Staggs served as the defensive coordinator for four years at Charleston Southern, which included two seasons of work with the program’s linebackers and the last two with the defensive backs. His defenses played a major role in the Buccaneers winning 35 games, claiming two Big South Conference Championships, and earning Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff berths in both 2015 and 2016.
In 2016, he mentored a unit that led the Big South and ranked seventh nationally in total defense (294.1 ypg). The Buccaneers also finished among the nation’s best in passing defense (158.8 ypg, 3rd) and sacks (12.6, 18th) and produced seven all-conference performers led by All-America defensive end Anthony Ellis.
CSU finished the 2016 season ranked 14th in the final FCS poll, extending its streak of top 25 rankings to a school record of 22 weeks.
In 2015, CSU ranked fourth nationally in passing defense (144.9 ypg), ninth in total defense (292.0 ypg), and 16th in third-down percentage defense (32.4 percent).
In 2014, Staggs’ defense carried CSU for much of its 5-0 start to the season, and ended the year as the Big South leader in total defense (325.7 ypg), rushing defense (140.6 ypg), and pass defense (185.1 ypg). In addition, the Bucs held opponents to just a 32.2 percent third-down success rate, good enough for 19th in the FCS, and ranked 18th in turnover margin.
In Staggs’ first season as defensive coordinator in 2013, the Bucs posted a 10-3 record and a No. 22 final FCS national ranking. Fueled by improved defensive play under his guidance, CSU won its first seven games, highlighted by a 27-24 road triumph over FBS transition Appalachian State.
Staggs served as defensive coordinator at Delta State for the 2012 season after working in the same capacity at North Greenville for three years from 2009-11. In his third season on the Crusaders’ staff, he added the title of assistant head coach and was a central figure in North Greenville’s 11-3 campaign and run to the 2011 NCAA Division II playoff quarterfinals.
He had a brief stint at Charleston Southern in 2008, coaching the Buccaneers’ secondary while also assisting with special teams.
He spent five seasons as a graduate assistant at South Carolina (2003-07) under former national championship head coaches Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz, working with the secondary and linebackers, as well as the scout team. During that span, South Carolina played in both the 2005 Independence and 2006 Liberty Bowls.
Staggs began his coaching career as an assistant at Lexington (S.C.) High School from 2000-02.
He graduated from USC Upstate in 2000 with a degree in math education and also holds a master’s degree in hotel, restaurant, and tourism management from the University of South Carolina.
He and his wife, Kelli, have two children, Gracie and Jack.
Chad Staggs' Coaching History
2000-02: Lexington (S.C.) HS (Assistant)
2003-07: South Carolina (Graduate Assistant)
2008: Charleston Southern (Defensive Backs/Special Teams)
2009-10: North Greenville (Defensive Coordinator)
2011: North Greenville (Assistant Head Coach/Defensive Coordinator)
2012: Delta State (Defensive Coordinator)
2013-16: Charleston Southern (Defensive Coordinator)
2017-18: Furman (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
2019-20: Coastal Carolina (Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers)
2021-present: Coastal Carolina (Defensive Coordinator/Safeties)
