These are the Coastal Carolina football players with the most followers on Instagram

Coastal Carolina University is home to a football program on the rise.

With more than 30 wins in three seasons, the Chants national profile has grown significantly, and the program has taken steps to ensure this success continues.

With that new profile comes added attention— and in a new era where players can profit off their name, image and likeness in college athletics— several of CCU’s athletes have created large brands for themselves on social media.

The coaching staff also has a significant following on different social media platforms. Head Coach Tim Beck, Offensive Coordinator, and Quarterbacks Coach Travis Trickett have more than 34,000 followers on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Defensive Coordinator Craig Naivar also has a large following on X. Apart from posting support for CCU and quoting “great philosopher” and rapper Meek Mill, Naivar also posts pictures of his culinary creations.

Specifically, he posts pictures of his handmade barbecue.

“There’s no fake on that,” Naivar said. “That’s all homemade.”

A native of a small town near Austin, TX, Naivar takes great pride in his barbecue hobby, especially cooking for his players.

“I always felt like the players deserve a home-cooked meal, not just something you can get anywhere else,” Naivar added. “But I do take a lot of pride in it.”

Many of CCU’s players also have a large following on the social media platform Instagram. Here are the five Chanticleers with the most followers on Instagram:

1. Quarterback, Grayson McCall

It makes sense that the quarterback who helped drive the CCU forward the last three years is at the top of the list.

With about 24,000 followers on Instagram, McCall posts highlights of his on-field exploits with his teammates, promotes his NIL deal sponsorships and recaps his second trip to the Manning Passing Academy.

In July, McCall spoke about trash-talking with fellow Sun Belt Conference South Alabama quarterback Carter Bradley during the camp.

“(Bradley’s) a really good quarterback. So you know, just kind of messing with them a little bit,” McCall said. “It’s all love at the end of the day, you know, we’re quarterbacks. Luckily, we’re not on the field at the same time. So we kind of keep it light.”

2. Wide Receiver, Tyson Mobley

One of McCall’s favorite targets at wide receiver also happens to have the second most followers on Instagram.

The Longwood, Fla. native has accrued about 18,600 followers, and his Instagram page features photos of his in-game highlights and stills of him practicing.

Mobley will be part of a deep wide receiver group that hopes to maintain CCU’s momentum as a program. Mobley also is looking to build on a break-out 2022 campaign.

Tyson Mobley caught 40 passes in 2022 for 490 yards and five touchdowns.

3. Cornerback, Keontae Jenkins

The redshirt junior is an interesting case amongst the most followed CCU players because he’s never taken the field for the Chants.

Despite playing three years of college football and garnering about 16,400 followers on Instagram, this is his first year at Coastal.

Jenkins previously suited up for the TCU Horned Frogs as a cornerback before jumping to CCU via the transfer portal to don the teal and black.

Jenkins’ profile contains several photos of him training or highlighting his fashionable attire.

Jenkins will be part of a CCU secondary attempting to rectify Coastal’s pass defense from 2022 when the Chants surrendered almost 3,700 yards passing.

4. Defensive Lineman, Allen Henry

The West Memphis, Ark. native is more familiar to Coastal fans.

With an Instagram profile of “fastlivin52”, Henry frequently posts game day pictures and his attire for CCU’s 2022 trip to Huntington, WV. to play Marshall.

Like Jenkins, Henry also transferred to CCU. Henry started at Coffeyville Community College before joining Coastal Carolina in 2022. Henry touts his junior college roots in his Instagram profile.

Henry recorded 21 tackles in his first season as a Chant.

5. Nickel, Juan Powell

Like Jenkins, Powell also has never taken a snap as a Chanticleer. The redshirt senior transferred from East Carolina University and brought his 12,900 followers.

“known as duke” on the platform, Powell’s age features his graduation photos from ECU and him in his new CCU uniform. With the 2023-24 season set to commence Sep. 2, Powell could also make an impact on the field.

Other popular Chants on Instagram represent the potential future of the program. Freshman quarterback Blake Boda is the sixth most followed Chant with 12,800 followers and freshman cornerback Trelon Slade is seventh with 10,900.

Boda also represents a potential new era of landing more high-profile recruits under Head Coach Tim Beck. A three-star recruit out of high school, Beck and Offensive Coordinator Travis Trickett got the Flordia native to commit to CCU afterinitially committing to UNLV.