CONWAY, S.C. — Coastal Carolina head football coach Ryan Beard announced the additions and promotions within the Chanticleers’ football support and recruiting staff, completing the program’s operational and personnel structure ahead of the 2026 season.
Support Staff
Max Franey
Chief of Staff
Franey joins Coastal Carolina as Associate Athletic Director of Football Administration after serving as Director of Football Operations at Missouri State University. He brings extensive experience coordinating team logistics, travel, scheduling and daily operational needs at the Division I level.
Prior to returning to Missouri State in the summer of 2024, Franey spent a season at Gardner-Webb University as Director of Football Operations and Director of Equipment Operations, helping support an FCS playoff-qualifying team. His background also includes a football operations internship at the University of Tulsa and two years at Missouri State as director of beach volleyball operations while completing his graduate studies.
Franey earned his bachelor’s degree in administrative management in 2022 and an MBA leadership certificate in 2023, both from Missouri State University.
CJ Schrimpf
Director of Football Operations
Schrimpf was promoted to Director of Football Operations after serving as Coastal Carolina’s coordinator of player development and operations since July 2024. Prior to that role, he worked as a volunteer with the football program beginning in September 2023, providing support across multiple areas of daily operations.
A former Chanticleer student-athlete, Schrimpf played long snapper at Coastal Carolina from 2018–21. His playing career included third-team All-Sun Belt Conference recognition by Phil Steele in 2021 and selection to the 2021 Patrick Mannelly Award watch list. He was also named to the 2022 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society.
Schrimpf holds two degrees from Coastal Carolina – a bachelor’s in sports communication and a masters in instructional technology.
Hunter Crabtree
Offensive Senior Analyst
Crabtree joins Coastal after serving on the Missouri State football staff as a quality control assistant on offense in 2025. He previously spent the 2024 season as a graduate assistant and video coordinator, helping with offensive game planning, film breakdown, and video analysis for the Bears’ staff. Crabtree brings experience in offensive operations and support, contributing to preparation and strategy at the FBS level.
Dalton Franks
Defensive Senior Analyst
Franks comes to Coastal Carolina after spending the past two seasons at Missouri State, where he joined the staff in August 2023 as director of on-campus recruiting while also working closely with the defense. In 2024, the Bears’ defense led the Missouri Valley Football Conference in sacks per game and ranked among the league leaders in tackles for loss, while also producing 12 interceptions and 20 total takeaways.
Before Missouri State, Franks spent two years at Missouri Western State, coaching the defensive line and safeties. His 2022 secondary ranked 45th nationally in pass defense, and the defense closed the season with strong sack production and efficient special teams play. He was later named full-time outside linebackers coach and special teams coordinator with recruiting responsibilities. Franks also brings experience from Stephen F. Austin, where he worked in quality control with linebackers, defensive line and cornerbacks, as well as high school coaching experience in Texas. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from Stephen F. Austin State University.
Austin Gilbert
Defensive Analyst
Gilbert comes to Conway after serving as a defensive quality control coach and graduate assistant at Missouri State during the 2025 season. Working primarily with the defensive tackles, he helped develop a defensive front that logged nine consecutive games allowing fewer than 30 points. Under his guidance, freshman defensive lineman Dezmond Barnes earned Conference USA All-Freshman Team honors, contributing sacks and tackles for loss while appearing in key games down the stretch.
Prior to Missouri State, Gilbert served as a graduate assistant coach at Charlotte from 2023–25 and previously worked as a student assistant coach at the University of Michigan from 2020–23. His experience also includes a training camp internship with the Kansas City Chiefs and work as a data collector with Pro Football Focus. Gilbert earned a dual degree in sport management and economics from the University of Michigan.
Austin Westbrook
Defensive Analyst
Westbrook joins Coastal Carolina after serving as a graduate assistant for defensive backs at Missouri State during the 2025 season. He joined the Bears’ staff in the summer of 2025, working with the secondary and assisting in player development at the FBS level. Prior to his coaching career, Westbrook played collegiately at Faulkner University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in sports management. He later pursued a master’s degree in kinesiology with a concentration in sport management at Northern Illinois University.
Carter Barnard
Special Teams Analyst
Barnard joins the Coastal Carolina staff after serving as a graduate assistant for special teams at Missouri State during the 2025 season. He was part of the Bears’ staff during the program’s first season competing at the FBS level in Conference USA, contributing to game planning and daily special teams operations. Prior to his coaching career, Barnard played safety for Oklahoma State, where he competed for two seasons in the Big 12 Conference.
Trey Carter
Offensive Analyst
Trey Carter returns to Coastal Carolina for the 2026 season as an offensive analyst after joining the Chanticleers’ staff in 2025. A standout offensive lineman during his playing career, Carter holds the school record for games played (61) and starts (61) and was voted a team captain for three seasons from 2019–21.
In addition to his analyst duties, Carter was named the interim offensive line coach for the 2025 Independence Bowl, helping lead position-group preparation and on-field execution during the postseason. His prior coaching experience includes roles as an offensive graduate assistant at Liberty and a previous stint as an offensive graduate assistant at Coastal Carolina.
Grayson McCall
Offensive Analyst
Grayson McCall will return for the 2026 season as an offensive analyst after joining the Chanticleers’ staff in 2025. One of the most accomplished players in Coastal Carolina history, McCall enjoyed a record-setting collegiate career as the program’s quarterback and was named a team captain three times during his time in Conway.
McCall was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year (2020–22) and led the Chanticleers to multiple conference championships, bowl victories, and national rankings. He finished his Coastal Carolina career as the program’s all-time leader in passing yards, passing touchdowns, completion percentage, and total offense, while earning national recognition as a freshman All-American and a finalist for multiple national quarterback awards.
During the 2025 postseason, McCall served as the interim tight ends coach for the Independence Bowl.
Recruiting Staff
Scott Aligo
General Manager
Aligo returns for his second season as Coastal Carolina football’s general manager after becoming the program’s first-ever GM in early 2025. He oversees roster management, personnel, and scouting for the Chanticleers, bringing extensive experience at both the collegiate and professional levels.
Aligo joined Coastal Carolina after a four-year stint as director of scouting at Kansas, where he helped the Jayhawks reach back-to-back bowl games and played a key role in one of the most successful stretches in program history. During his tenure, Kansas earned national rankings for the first time in more than a decade, hosted ESPN College GameDay and FOX Big Noon Kickoff for the first time and appeared in the College Football Playoff rankings.
Prior to Kansas, Aligo served as director of player personnel at Michigan State, Akron, Chattanooga, and John Carroll, and spent more than seven years working in NFL player personnel roles with the Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns.
Logan Armstrong
Director of Player Personnel
Armstrong comes to Coastal Carolina after spending the 2025 season at the University of Oklahoma as a scouting coordinator. He previously served at the University of Tulsa, beginning as a defensive and recruiting intern in 2022 before being promoted to director of player personnel and recruiting in 2023. Armstrong began his coaching career at Owasso High School as an assistant defensive backs coach in 2021 and gained experience as a volunteer and game-day assistant at Oklahoma in 2019. A former collegiate baseball player at Eastern Oklahoma State College and Murray State College, Armstrong earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration and finance from the University of Oklahoma in 2020.
Ace Wales
Director of Scouting
Wales joins the Chanticleers after serving on the Missouri State staff, where he coached the Bears’ running backs during the 2025 season. Under his guidance, Shomari Lawrence earned second-team All-Conference USA honors after a standout campaign that included multiple 100-yard rushing performances and a season-high 173 yards against Kennesaw State. Lawrence ranked among the Conference USA leaders in rushing average, rushing yards per game and all-purpose yards, highlighting Wales’ impact on running back development at the FBS level.
In 2024, Wales’ running backs helped power a record-setting offensive season at Missouri State that featured two all-conference contributors, combining for significant yardage and touchdowns and playing a key role in one of the most productive offenses in program history.
Prior to Missouri State, Wales spent the 2023 season at Louisville as a graduate assistant, contributing to a 10-win season, an ACC Championship Game appearance and a bowl victory. He also previously worked at Western Kentucky, serving in recruiting and quality control roles, and has experience at the high school level in Kentucky.
A native of Louisville, Ky., Wales played collegiately at Western Kentucky, where he earned All-Conference USA honors and appeared on the Doak Walker Award watch list. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees from Western Kentucky University.
Braelyn Yown, Director of On-Campus Recruiting, Wilson Schiller, Assistant Director of Player Personnel, Chris Parrott, Coordinator of Scouting, and Alara Oran, Operations and Recruiting Assistant
Yown, Schiller, Parrott, and Oran will return to Coastal Carolina, providing continuity to the program’s recruiting operations.
