Willy Korn was promoted to co-offensive coordinator in February 2019 and is in his sixth year overall at Coastal Carolina in 2022. Korn transitioned to coaching the quarterbacks in 2019 after serving as the wide receivers coach and coordinator for the kickoff unit on special teams in each of his first two seasons at CCU in 2017 and 2018.
As the co-offensive coordinator in each of the last three seasons, Korn has helped the Chants go from 5-7 in 2019 to 11-1 in 2020 and 11-2 in 2021. In each of the past three seasons, the offense has also ranked in the top-10 nationally in all of FBS in multiple statistical categories.
In 2021, the Chanticleers outscored all their opponents 532-281 on the season, including totaling 100-plus points in each quarter on the year. Coastal 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), as 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.
CCU also 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).
The offense also 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.
Korn coached McCall to perhaps the best season ever by a Coastal quarterback, as McCall 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, as a total of 16 Chanticleers picked up All-Sun Belt honors.
With his second-straight Conference Player of the Year honor in 2021, McCall became one of just four student-athletes in the history of the Sun Belt Conference to pick up multiple Player of the Year honors and to do it in back-to-back years.
Joining McCall on the All-Sun Belt first team on offense was Shermari Jones, Jaivon Heiligh, and Isaiah Likely, while Willie earned a spot on the second team and veteran offensive lineman Trey Carter was named to the third team. Picking up honorable mention All-Sun Belt honors were Kameron Brown and Braydon Bennett.
In 2020, his second season as co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, 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.
Five players earned All-America recognition including offensive players in redshirt freshman quarterback Grayson McCall (FWAA Freshman All-American, The Athletic’s 2020 College Football Freshman All-American), freshman offensive lineman Willie Lampkin (FWAA Freshman All-American, ESPN College Football’s True Freshman All-America Team, The Athletic’s 2020 College Football Freshman All-American, 247Sports True Freshman All-American), and junior tight end Isaiah Likely (Pro Football Focus (PFF) (second team)).
McCall also picked up individual national honors, as the redshirt freshman was named the 2020 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Most Inspirational Freshman. He was also 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.
The team earned 16 selections to the 2020 All-Sun Belt team, including 10 first-team selections. Offensively, McCall was named both the Sun Belt Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year, while being joined on the All-Sun Belt first team by offensive members CJ Marable, Isaiah Likely, Jaivon Heiligh, and Trey Carter. Freshman offensive lineman Willie Lampkin was named All-Sun Belt second team and offensive lineman Sam Thompson was tabbed third team. Running back Reese White and offensive linemen Antwine Loper and Steven Bedosky were all named honorable mention.
Overall, the 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).
CCU was second in the league for the year in red-zone offense (88.3 percent), and second in both sacks allowed per game (1.17) and tackles-for-loss allowed per game (4.33) on the year. The Chants also ranked third in the conference in total offense (449.8 yards per game) and rushing offense (218.3 yards per game), both of which ranked in the top 25 nationally.
A three-time Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week selection in 2020, 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 the quarterback position.
In his first year as the co-offensive coordinator 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).
Both sophomore quarterbacks in Fred Payton and Bryce Carpenter surpassed the 1,000-career passing yards mark on the season, as both completed over 63 percent of their pass attempts and combined to throw for 2,379 yards and 21 touchdowns. Junior running back CJ Marable led the team in rushing with 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).
A total of six offensive players earned Sun Belt Conference postseason honors. Tight end Isaiah Likely and offensive lineman Trey Carter earned third-team honors, while Marable, wide receiver Jaivon Heiligh, tight end Shadell Bell, and offensive lineman Ethan Howard received honorable mention recognition.
While coaching the wide receivers in 2018, the Chants’ offense led the Sun Belt and ranked in the top 25 nationally in 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). Senior wideout Malcolm Williams, who was named All-Sun Belt honorable mention and earned a spot on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, posted a team-high 47 catches for 724 yards and five touchdown receptions to lead the receivers corp. Fellow wide receivers Ky’Jon Tyler and Jeremiah Miller recorded 26 and 21 receptions, respectively, while five different Chant receivers averaged 13.0 or more yards per catch on the season.
With just two years under Korn’s guidance, Williams finished his career ranked fourth all-time (first in FBS) in CCU history with a career average of 16.7 yards per catch, sixth all-time with 1,534 receiving yards, and tied for sixth all-time with 12 touchdown catches. Williams also closed out his career ranked eighth all-time at CCU with 92 career catches and became just the 10th player in Coastal history to reach 1,000 career receiving yards in 2018.
In his first year with the Chanticleers in 2017, Korn helped Williams earn third-team All-Sun Belt honors while Chris Jones was selected honorable mention. After just two receptions for 17 yards in 2016, Williams broke through in 2017 to lead the Chanticleers in receptions (43), receiving yards (793), and receiving touchdowns (seven). The junior finished with 1,093 all-purpose yards (793 receiving, 73 rushing, eight punt returns, 219 kick returns) to rank eighth on the CCU single-season list. His 18.44 yards per catch ranked second on the CCU single-season list while he also ranked sixth on the CCU seasonal chart in receiving yards, seventh in receiving touchdowns, and ninth in receptions.
Williams opened conference play with a record-setting performance at ULM with 266 receiving yards (CCU record and second-best single-game effort in Sun Belt history) on nine receptions -- one shy of the CCU single-game record at the time. He also recorded an 86-yard touchdown reception to tie for the second-longest pass play in CCU history. Chris Jones set a CCU record with an average of 20.62 yards per reception.
Korn came to Coastal after serving in a similar position for coach Chadwell at Charleston Southern for four seasons (2013-16). In addition to his role as wide receivers coach at Charleston Southern, Korn spent the last three seasons at CSU as the Buccaneers’ recruiting coordinator.
Korn’s recruiting classes at CSU helped the Bucs win a pair of Big South championships while reaching the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs in 2015 and 2016. Specifically, his wide receivers helped anchor one of the more explosive offenses in the Big South.
Prior to entering the coaching ranks at Charleston Southern, Korn played for Chadwell while at North Greenville. Korn began his collegiate playing career at Clemson before transferring to North Greenville.
Korn, who started at quarterback in Dabo Sweeney’s first year as Clemson’s head coach, graduated from Clemson in three-and-a-half years (2010) with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies.
Upon graduating and following an injury-plagued career with the Tigers, Korn transferred to North Greenville University. He started at quarterback in his junior and senior seasons at North Greenville, earning All-American honors after leading NGU to an 11-3 season and the NCAA Division II quarterfinals in 2011. Korn finished his career at NGU with an 18-4 record and threw for 4,058 yards and 45 touchdowns in two seasons. He also ran 212 times for 944 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Korn led national-power Byrnes High School to two 4A state championships and set numerous state records along the way over his high school career. He finished his high school career with 10,125 passing yards and 125 touchdowns which earned him such accolades as Parade All-American, U.S. Army All-American Bowl participant, Elite 11 QB Camp invitee, and South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year twice (2005 and 2006). In 2013, he was named among the top 150 all-time South Carolina high school football players by The State newspaper.
Korn is married to the former Charlotte Swain. The couple has a daughter named Maggie and a son named Luke.
Willy Korn's Coaching History
2013-16: Charleston Southern (Wide Receivers/Recruiting Coordinator)
2017-18: Coastal Carolina (Wide Receivers/Kickoff)
2019-present: Coastal Carolina (Co-Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)
