Grant Cain starts his seventh year on the Coastal Carolina University football staff, his fifth as a full-time staff member and second as defensive ends coach. Previously, Cain coached the outside linebackers (2007-09) after spending his first two seasons as a graduate assistant with the Chanticleers.
In his first year with the defensive ends, his season looked to be a struggle, losing preseason all-conference pick Quinton Davis to a season-ending injury in week three. And while his unit had its share of injuries, the group was relentless. One constant was Kent Harper. The senior, who started the season third on the depth chart, used his experience and heart to produce 10.0 tackles for losses, third-best in the Big South and helped CCU lead the Big South and ranked 16th nationally in the category. For his efforts, Harper was tabbed second team All-Big South. Jamel Davis also showed flashes of brilliance, earning Big South Defensive Player of the Week once while Chris Thomas had 4.5 TFL.
Working with the outside linebackers, Cain helped Coastal Carolina lead the Big South in sacks (25) in 2009 as well as rank second in tackles for losses. The Chants also paced the league in TFL in 2008, while ranking among the nation[apos]s top 23 in both sacks and TFL in 2007.
Prior to Coastal Carolina, Cain spent the 2005 spring and summer seasons as a defensive assistant with the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League. Cain helped the Crush win its first AFL title in just its third season of play with a victory over the Georgia Force in Arena Bowl XIX in Las Vegas.
Cain spent the previous two years at Catawba College, working under head coach Chip Hester. While at Catawba, Cain worked with the cornerbacks, outside linebackers and special teams. He also assisted with the strength and conditioning and Academic Success programs.
Cain is very familiar with the style of Coastal Carolina football, having played for current head coach David Bennett and defensive coordinator Curtis Walker at Catawba.
While he was a student-athlete at Catawba, Cain lettered as a defensive back and served as team captain his senior season. He also helped the Indians to four national playoff appearances, including a berth in the national semifinals. Cain earned his bachelor[apos]s degree in business administration in 2003.
Cain played his high school football at Harrison High School in Kennesaw, Ga. At Harrison, he was an All-County performer and helped the Hoyas to three state playoff berths and a regional title.
He is married to the former Shauna Koontz and they reside in Conway with their son Caleb (2). His younger brother, Austin, is a redshirt freshman punter with the Chanticleers, while brother, Blake, is a senior punter at Coastal Carolina. Also, his brother, Travis, played at Coastal from 2002-06.
