Bill Durkin joined the Coastal Carolina football staff in March 2014 and is in his ninth season with the Chanticleer football program in 2021.
In 2020, Durkin moved over to coaching the offensive line after working with the tight ends and offensive tackles in 2018 and 2019. He coached the running backs for four years from 2014-17 and worked with the PAT and field goal units for five seasons from 2014-18.
Behind a veteran offensive line unit that returned all five starters from 2020’s championship season, the Chanticleers outscored all their opponents 532-281 on the season, including totaling 100-plus points in each quarter on the year in 2021.
Coastal’s offense was one of only two teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-10 in both third-down conversion (1st) and fourth-down conversion percentage (4th) on the season and one of only two teams in ALL of FBS to rank in the top-30 in both rushing offense (6th) and passing offense (28th).
The Coastal offense finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in team passing efficiency (192.01), while behind Durkin’s unit, quarterback Grayson McCall led the nation and set a new NCAA FBS single-season record with a passing efficiency rating of 207.6 on the year. The offense also finished the season ranked No. 1 nationally in average yards per rush on the season (5.84 ypr) and in third-down conversion percentage (53.8 percent), was second nationally in yards per play on offense (7.74 ypp), and ranked fourth nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage (76.9 percent).
CCU ranked fourth in all of FBS in completion percentage (70.5 percent), as McCall ranked No. 2 nationally in all of FBS in completion percentage (73.0 percent), and was fifth nationally in both passing yards per completion (15.23 ypc) and total offense (494.7 ypg). McCall ranked No. 1 nationally in yards per pass attempt (11.92 ypa) and No. 2 in passing yards per completion (16.32 ypc).
In the running attack, the Chants ended the season ranked No. 6 nationally in rushing offense (228.8 ypg) and in rushing touchdowns (36), as senior running back Shermari Jones ranked No. 8 nationally in rush yards per carry (6.54) and No. 24 nationally in rushing touchdowns (13).
The offense finished the season ranked No. 5 nationally in scoring offense (40.9 ppg) and was one of only five FBS schools to average over 40 points per game on the season.
For their efforts up front, the offensive line was named to the Joe Moore Award watch list for the second consecutive season.
CCU had two offensive linemen in Willie Lampkin (second-team) and Trey Carter (third-team) pick up All-Sun Belt accolades following the 2021 season.
With his third-team honor, Carter became just one of only two players in Sun Belt history to be a five-time all-conference honoree. He finished his career setting the Coastal Carolina record for games played (61) and starts (61), as he made 61 consecutive starts from 2017 through 2021.
The offensive line helped block for McCall, who was named the 2021 Blanchard-Rogers Trophy (S.C. Heisman) award winner and was a repeat as the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year. Joining McCall on the All-Sun Belt first team were running back Shermari Jones, wide receiver Jaivon Heiligh, and tight end Isaiah Likely, while picking up honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors were Kameron Brown and Braydon Bennett.
In 2020, the Chanticleers won the program’s first-ever Sun Belt Conference title, 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.
Durkin mentored freshman offensive lineman Willie Lampkin who was named an FWAA Freshman All-American and a 247Sports True Freshman All-American and earned a spot on both the ESPN College Football’s True Freshman All-America and The Athletic’s 2020 College Football Freshman All-America teams in his first year on campus.
The team earned 16 selections to the 2020 All-Sun Belt team, including 10 first-team selections, as Durkin’s offensive line unit was well-represented with five all-conference honorees in Trey Carter (first team), Willie Lampkin (second-team), Sam Thompson (third team), Antwine Loper (honorable mention), and Steven Bedosky (honorable mention).
In 2020, the offensive line was named a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top offensive line unit, and ranked second in the Sun Belt Conference in both sacks allowed per game (1.17) and tackles-for-loss allowed per game (4.33) on the year.
Behind the offensive line, the CCU offense in 2020 led the conference in scoring offense (37.2 points per game), third-down conversion percentage (52.3 percent), fourth-down conversion percentage (76.5 percent), time of possession (33:50), completion percentage (66.6 percent), fewest interceptions thrown (5), and team passing efficiency (177.72). The offense was also second in the league for the year in red-zone offense (88.3 percent), and ranked third in the conference in both total offense (449.8 yards per game) and rushing offense (218.3 yards per game), both of which ranked in the top 25 nationally.
The line blocked for a pair of award winners in 2020 in running back CJ Marable and quarterback Grayson McCall.
A first-team All-Sun Belt selection at both running back and return specialist. Marable, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chicago Bears, totaled 19 touchdowns on the season, which was first in the Sun Belt, tied for fourth nationally, and was tied for the third-most in a single season in CCU program history. He led the Sun Belt in total points (114) and points per game (9.5), was tied for first in the Sun Belt in rushing touchdowns (12), and ranked second in the Sun Belt in rushing yards (887), which also ranked 20th nationally. Marable found the end zone in 11-of-12 games on the year, including scoring two or more touchdowns in seven contests, and finished the regular season with three-straight 100-yard rushing games and a total of eight touchdowns over the final three games heading into the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.
The 2020 Sun Belt Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, McCall led the Sun Belt and ranked 10th nationally with 26 passing touchdowns on the season. He also led the Sun Belt and ranked in the top 30 nationally in passing efficiency at 184.3 (5th), points responsible for with 202 (9th), points responsible for per game at 18.4 (16th), passing yards with 2,488 (19th), and in total offensive yards per game at 277.9 (30th). McCall was second in the Sun Belt in completion percentage at 68.8 percent (172-of-250), in passing yards per completion at 14.47, and yards per attempt at 9.95, and ranked sixth in the Sun Belt with seven rushing touchdowns and 12th in rushing yards with 569 rushing yards from his quarterback position.
McCall joined Lampkin on the FWAA Freshman All-America and The Athletic’s 2020 College Football Freshman All-America teams and picked up several individual national honors, as he was named the 2020 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Most Inspirational Freshman and was a Manning Award Finalist, a Maxwell Award semifinalist, a Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award semifinalist, and a Shaun Alexander-FWAA Freshman of the Year Award semifinalist.
In 2019, the Coastal Carolina offense recorded over 400 yards of total offense five times, including a season-high 636 yards in the road win at UMass. The Chants were 23-for-29 (79.3 percent) on fourth-down attempts which was the second-best percentage both nationally and in the Sun Belt, while the 23 fourth-down conversions were tied for the third-most nationally behind only Army and Navy with 26.
The CCU offense also ranked first in the Sun Belt in time of possession (33:24), first in completion percentage (65.0 percent), fifth in third-down conversion percentage (40.7 percent), and fifth in sacks allowed (1.67 per game).
Durkin’s tight end group in 2019 was led by sophomore Isaiah Likely who was named to the 2019 Phil Steele Sun Belt Conference All-Conference second team and the 2019 All-Sun Belt third team. A John Mackey Award watch list member, Likely finished the season ranked among the league leaders in tight ends with 32 receptions, 431 receiving yards, and a team-high five touchdowns. One of just 21 players in all of the Sun Belt to record a 100-yard receiving game with 107 yards in the season finale versus Texas State, Likely hauled in at least one pass in all 12 games. He recorded a season-high six catches twice - six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown versus Troy and six receptions for 107 yards and a score against Texas State - and had a then-career-long 51-yard reception in the win over the Bobcats in the season finale.
Redshirt senior tight end Shadell Bell earned All-Sun Belt honorable mention recognition with nine receptions for 81 yards and two touchdowns on the season, an average of 9.0 yards per catch, while redshirt sophomore Michael McFarlane, who played in all 12 games, was a 2019 CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 first team selection.
The offensive line unit, which saw two starting tackles in Ethan Howard (2 games) and Antwine Loper (2 games) miss a total of four games due to injuries, saw an emergence in freshman Kameren Stewart who went from planning to redshirt to starting six games for the Chants at left tackle. The line helped protect both sophomore quarterbacks in Fred Payton and Bryce Carpenter who each surpassed the 1,000-career passing yards mark on the season and completed over 63 percent of their pass attempts on the year.
The frontline unit also cleared the way for junior running back CJ Marable to rush for a team-high 1,085 yards on the season, which ranked fourth in the Sun Belt, and etched his name in the CCU record books as he became just the fourth Chant to rush for over 1,000 yards in a single season joining De’Angelo Henderson (2014, 2015, and 2016), Lorenzo Taliaferro (2013), and Patrick Hall (2004).
While working with the offensive line and tight ends for the first time at CCU in 2018, Durkin contributed to the Chants’ offense that led the Sun Belt and ranked in the top 25 nationally in rushing yards per game, red-zone offense, time of possession, first downs, and both third- and fourth-down conversion percentage for much of the season. CCU finished the year ranked in the top 10 nationally in fourth-down conversion percentage (68.8), fewest penalties (52), fewest penalties per game (4.33), and fewest penalty yards (493).
The offensive line helped clear the way for the CCU rushing attack to rank fourth in the Sun Belt and 41st nationally with an average of 198.7 rushing yards per game, and spearheaded the Chants offense to 574 total offensive yards in the win at Campbell (Sept. 12), the most for a CCU offense in a single game since 2015.
Freshman tight end Isaiah Likely came on strong at the end of the season, hauling in nine passes for 57 yards and four touchdowns over the last three games, and finished the year tied for the team lead with five touchdown receptions. On the year, he caught 12 passes for 106 yards, an average of 8.8 yards per catch, under Durkin’s guidance in 2018.
In charge of the PAT and field goal units in 2018, Durkin worked with placekicker Massimo Biscardi who was named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist, an award that is annually given to college football’s top placekicker, and earned a spot on the All-Sun Belt third team. Biscardi was 13-for-16 on field goals and 33-for-36 on extra points on the year, which included a career-long 50-yard field goal in the win at Louisiana (Sept. 22). His 81.3 field goal percentage was a new single-season record, eclipsing Ryan Granger’s previous mark of 81 percent set in 2016. The true freshman kicker made good on each of his first eight field goal attempts of his career, the longest consecutive streak of field goals made to start a career for a CCU placekicker in program history, and became the first true freshman to make three field goals in the same game doing it twice in 2018 – at South Carolina (Sept. 1) and at Georgia State (Oct. 27).
The 2017 season was Coastal’s first in the NCAA FBS and Sun Belt Conference, but CCU kept its tradition of having strong running back play under Durkin. Osharmar Abercrombie was named third-team All-Sun Belt and, despite being De’Angelo Henderson’s backup for three years, Abercrombie finished his career fourth on the school’s all-time list for rushing touchdowns (22), fifth in rushing yards (1,922), 10th in all-purpose yards (2,372), and 10th in points scored (138).
Henderson, who set an NCAA Division I record by scoring a touchdown in 35 consecutive games, ended his career in 2016 by earning All-American honors and being named a Walter Payton Award finalist for the second-straight season. He went on to be a sixth-round pick by the Denver Broncos. Overall, Coastal rushed for over 200 yards in 11 of its 12 games, including three times eclipsing 300 yards. Also under Durkin’s watch, Coastal converted 8-of-11 two-point tries in 2016.
In 2015, Henderson’s game elevated, and he was rewarded by being named an All-American, finishing 10th on the STATS FCS National Offensive Player of the Year voting, and being selected the Big South Offensive Player of the Year. Henderson set the NCAA FCS record by scoring a touchdown in 26 consecutive games while leading the Big South in all-purpose yards per game (14th nationally), rushing touchdowns (seventh nationally), rushing yards (10th nationally), rushing yards per game (ninth nationally), and scoring (sixth nationally). Coastal’s Ryan Granger was also named first-team All-Big South as he made all 38 extra points and set a CCU record by making 16 field goals. Additionally, Coastal converted eight two-point conversions on the season.
In his first season at Coastal in 2014, Durkin helped De’Angelo Henderson earn first-team All-Big South honors as he led the league in rushing, scoring, and rushing touchdowns while ranking among the NCAA FCS leaders in rushing yards per carry (6.56, 7th), rushing TDs (20, 7th), rushing yards (1,534, 9th), scoring (9.0 ppg, 11th), rushing yards per game (109.6 ypg, 18th), and all-purpose yards (130.21 ypg, 21st). Coastal Carolina also led the NCAA FCS in fourth-down conversions as Henderson and Andre Johnson converted nine of their 10 attempts on fourth down, including four touchdowns from Henderson. Henderson also gained a first down on 18 of his 22 rushing attempts on third down as CCU ranked ninth in the nation in the category.
Prior to CCU, Durkin spent four seasons from 2010-13 coaching the offensive line at Bowling Green State University. Three Falcons were named All-Mid-American Conference in 2013, including first-team selections Chief Kekuewa and Dominic Flewellyn, and his offensive line unit allowed running back Travis Greene to rank 15th in the NCAA FBS in rushing yards per game (113.9). The Falcons were 2013 MAC Champions, led the NCAA FBS in time of possession, and led the nation in fewest fumbles lost, while also ranking 29th in total offense.
In 2012, BGSU was one of the least sacked teams in the country, allowing just 15 sacks in 13 contests. Helping these numbers were a pair of All-MAC award winners in Jordon Roussos (second team) and Flewellyn (third team). It was the first time two BGSU offensive linemen earned All-MAC accolades in the same season since 2005.
In 2011, the offensive line returned four starters including Ben Bojicic, who earned third-team All-MAC honors, and the group helped pave the way for freshman running back Anthony Samuel, who was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
Durkin spent the 2008 and 2009 seasons at Hofstra. While with the Pride, Durkin was the offensive line coach and running game coordinator in 2008-09. He added assistant head coach to his title in 2009.
Prior to his time at Hofstra, Durkin spent 11 seasons at the University of Richmond, where he was part of four conference championship teams. He joined the Spiders’ program in 1997 as the tight ends and offensive tackles coach where he coached two all-conference selections and one All-American.
Durkin coached the Richmond running backs from 2000 through the 2003 season before assuming the role of offensive line coach from 2004 through 2007. He also added the run game coordinator title in 2007.
The Spiders broke school records for rushing offense, total offense, total points scored, and single-game total offense and rushing offense marks in 2007 as Richmond advanced to the NCAA FCS Championship semifinals. In posting their third consecutive winning season for the first time in 52 years, the Spiders set a school record with 11 wins in 2007.
Durkin began his coaching career as a strength and conditioning coach at his alma mater, the University of Massachusetts from 1995-96. He was a four-year letterman, a two-year team captain, and a first-team all-conference selection in both 1992 and 1993. He added consensus first-team All-American honors in 1993 and was later named to the Yankee Conference 50th Anniversary All-Star Team.
Following graduation, he played with the New England Patriots and the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe, as well as the Shreveport Pirates and the Baltimore Stallions of the Canadian Football League.
Durkin and his wife, Victoria, have two children, Ryan and Rachel.
Bill Durkin's Coaching History
1995-96: UMass (Strength and Conditioning)
1997-99: Richmond (Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles)
2000-03: Richmond (Running Backs)
2004-07: Richmond (Offensive Line)
2008: Hofstra (Offensive Line)
2009: Hofstra (Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line)
2010-13: Bowling Green (Offensive Line)
2014-17: Coastal Carolina (Running Backs/PAT/FG)
2018: Coastal Carolina (Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles/PAT/FG)
2019: Coastal Carolina (Tight Ends/Offensive Tackles)
2020-present: Coastal Carolina (Offensive Line)
