Coastal Carolina may list Aramis Hillary as the starter on the preseason depth chart at quarterback, but whether or not Hillary maintains that spot by the end of training camp is still very much up in the air.

Coach David Bennett has plenty of options at the position, starting with the athletic Hillary and the equally athletic Jamie Childers, who is now a senior and splitting time between tight end and quarterback. Cody Craig, a redshirt freshman, will get a look in training camp, as will sophomore Logan Hall. And, Bennett said at Big South media day last week in Charlotte, don’t count out freshman Alex Ross, either.

For the first time in a while, the Chanticleers are in the market for a new starting quarterback. Zach MacDowall held down the post for the last three seasons, and compiled impressive numbers last year in leading Coastal to its second FCS playoff berth. He completed 211 of 347 passes for 2,632 yards, throw 20 touchdowns and 16 interceptions. He also ran for 378 yards and eight touchdowns.

Hillary played in five games last season, completing 13 of 25 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He threw two interceptions.

“Aramis Hillary is probably the leading candidate for that position, but it will be an ongoing battle,” Bennett said. “I’ll be watching like a hawk watching a squirrel to see which one wants that job.”

Bennett spoke further about Hillary.

“I like his leadership,” Bennett said. “I like him on the phone, calling the guys, texting the guys saying, ‘Let’s throw. Where you all at?’ He comes from a great family of quarterbacks and leaders.

“When we recruited his oldest brother Antwaun—nicknamed Gooch—to Catawba College, I still say it. Here was this little Urkel looking kid running around the house with high-water, hand-me-down pajamas on. His older brother was saying, ‘Get back there in the room son, don’t interrupt us while we’re talking.’ At an early age, Aramis was wanting to know what was going on. So we’ve got a little previous relationship with their family. He’s got the leadership skills.”

Bennett was also apparently impressed with the physique of the 6-foot-5, 230-pound Childers.

“Jamie Childers is a Greek god that’s chiseled out of stone,” he said. “I don’t know if you’ve ever eyeballed him. The young man is 6-5, 245 without about nine percent body fat. He can run 4.6 and throw the hell out of the football. And he is a very good athlete, a natural athlete.

“So out of those two guys, we’ll see who emerges as the starter. You may see a package for both of them. Our job as coaches is to put our best guys out there and put them in the best situation to represent our university. So we’ll see how that thing plays out.”

—The Chanticleers return four of their top five tacklers from last season in Andrae Jacobs, Desmond Steward, Marcus Lott and Josh Norman. Replacing the one player lost, safety Dominique Davenport, will be difficult, Bennett said.

“I still think he can play on Sundays,” Bennett said. “He was a special young man with a huge heart, and he’s going to have to be replaced. He did a great job for us.”

Bennett said a pair of sophomores—Phillip George and Johnnie Houston—will be in the mix to replace Davenport.

—The Chanticleers will be counting on leadership from sophomore offensive lineman Jamey Cheatwood, one of three returners up front and a preseason pick for the all-conference team.

“You know, we thought Jamey had some potential,” Bennett said. “But we didn’t know how big and thick and agile and flexible that Jamey really was. He’s a 330-pound man who is 6-4. He’s not 6-6. He is a big, raw-boned man that can not only play tackle for us, he can play guard. He can even center the ball. He’s a talented guy that is, gosh, so thick and athletic. If he continues to get stronger, the sky’s the limit for him. I’m certainly glad he’s a Chanticleer. His mom didn’t want him to go too far from home (in Boiling Springs, S.C.). Wofford was talking to him, Western Carolina was talking to him, and she liked the coach at Western. So we feel very blessed to have him.”

—Check back Thursday for a quick look at Gardner-Webb, led by new coach (and better-than-he-thinks golfer) Ron Dickerson, Jr.