CSU Names Jamey Chadwell as Head Football Coach

Press Release, Charleston Southern University 

Charleston Southern University has named Jamey Chadwell as the its new Head Football Coach, CSU Athletic Director Hank Small announced at a press conference on the CSU campus on Thursday afternoon.

Chadwell, 36, becomes the third head coach in CSU history. He replaces Jay Mills, who retired earlier this month after 10 seasons as CSU’s head coach.

Chadwell, who is 25-21 in his four seasons as a head coach, spent five seasons at CSU as an assistant, all as a part of Mills’ staff, and now returns to head a program he helped build.

"(CSU) is a place I care about deeply," Chadwell said Thursday. "I have a passion for this school and its mission, as well as the people at CSU. This job is something I have been working toward since I left. I have always wanted to come back here and lead this program. Charleston Southern is a special place, Charleston is a great city, my wife and I got married here, and we are going to make this community and this university proud of this program."

Chadwell takes over the CSU program after spending the last four seasons as a head coach at two Division II programs. This season, he served as the first-year head coach at Delta State University in Cleveland, Miss. Prior to DSU, he put North Greenville University on the national map at the D-II level.

The east-Tennessee native went from 2-8 in his first season at NGU to 11-3 in 2011 and a berth in the NCAA D-II Quarterfinals, where his Crusaders lost to Delta State, 28-23. In his three seasons at North Greenville, Chadwell was 22-14 as a head coach and led NGU to its first-ever national ranking finishing the 2011 season ranked No. 12 nationally in the American Football Coaches Association DII Poll.

Chadwell takes over one of the most improved teams in the FCS this past season. The Bucs’ five-game improvement in their 5-6 season in 2012 was second only to Villanova (six more wins) for the largest one-year improvement.

Chadwell five seasons at on Mills’ staff at CSU before leaving for North Greenville. He helped the Bucs’ program reach new heights, claiming the 2005 Big South Conference title with a 7-4 record and a 3-1 record in league play. In 2006, he became the Bucs’ wide receivers coach, while continuing to serve as recruiting coordinator.

Chadwell’s five-year stretch at CSU was the most successful stretch in program history. The Bucs won 14-straight games from 2005-’06 and three of the four winning seasons in the program’s short history.

Following the 2006 season, Mills’ promoted Chadwell to Assistant Head Coach and the former East Tennessee State quarterback would finish out his time at Charleston Southern in that capacity. During his five seasons with Mills, CSU accumulated 28 wins and one Big South Conference title.

Chadwell played at East Tennessee State University (1995-99) and was a two-year starter at quarterback.

Chadwell began his collegiate coaching career at his alma mater ETSU in 2000. From 2000-2003, the former Anderson County High School star worked with quarterbacks, tight ends and running backs while assisting with recruiting and offensive game planning.

As a four-year letterman for the Buccaneers, Chadwell spent two seasons as a co-starter at quarterback. He was twice named Team Captain and he helped lead ETSU to the Southern Conference title game two times during his career (1995-1999).

He received his bachelor’s degree in Economics and Business Education in May 2000 from East Tennessee State. He also completed his master’s in Business Administration from Charleston Southern in May 2006. Both times finishing his coursework with a 3.3 or higher cumulative GPA.

Chadwell is married to the former Solmaz Zarrineh and the couple has one son, Jameson (3) and daughter, Avery, born on Sunday (Jan. 13).