The rumors have been flying around for months, but they have finally been confirmed. The Sun Belt conference will be expanding and they will be adding a FCS power to the fray in the coming seasons.
ESPN’s Brett McMuphy reported that the Chanticleers will be officially full members of the conference once the 2017-18 athletic season rolls around. The school will join in all other sports next season, while football will be pushed back until 2017.
Coastal Carolina will join Sun Belt in football in 2017-18, all other sports in 2016-17 sources told @ESPN
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) September 1, 2015
The Eastern Kentucky Colonels are also rumored to join the Chanticleers in the conference soon, but the latter team was able to confirm their move due to them having recent success in football as well as having access to large amounts of money.
Coastal Carolina head football coach Joe Moglia is a billionaire former banking executive, so he will certainly be able to assist the Chanticleers in that aspect. He has also helped lead the team to the FCS quarterfinals the last two seasons and boasts a 32-10 record in his first three.
Coastal Carolina is expected to help create an East Division alongside Georgia State, Georgia Southern, Appalchian State, Troy, and South Alabama, while the new West Division will hold Idaho, New Mexico State, Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana-Lafayette, Texas State, and Arkansas State.
A formal announcement is expected to be delivered Tuesday afternoon.
Can’t get enough of Campus Sports? Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to stay updated with the latest news and exclusive giveaways!
*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports
