Charleston Southern University Men's Football

Vince Giardina enters his third season at Charleston Southern University in 2024 and serves as the Wide Receivers Coach. During January of 2024, he took over as the recruiting coordinator for the Buccaneers. During his first season with the Buccaneers he helped develop Noah Jennings into one of the top freshman receivers in the nation. At the end of the season, Jennings was named to the Phil Steele Freshman All-America Team. Giardina comes to CSU from Louisiana Christian University in Pineville, LA as the Offensive Coordinator, Associate Head Coach, QB/OL Coach. During his six years at LCU, Giardina spent three years as the Wide Receivers Coach and three years as the Offensive Coordinator. As Offensive Coordinator, Giardina produced five first-team All-Conference players including a second-team All-American and Nine second-team or Honorable Mention players. The Wildcats also produced its first winning season in eight years in 2022 with a 7-4 record that saw three of those victories against top 25 opponents. He also helped the Wildcats transition from NCAA D3 to NAIA football in 2020. During Giardina’s time as Wide Receiver Coach, he produced an additional seven All-Conference wide receivers during their final years in the American Southwest Conference.   In addition to contributing to the offense, Giardina also set three program records as the Academic Coordinator: Highest Cumulative GPA, Highest Fall Semester GPA, and Most Academic All-Conference Players up to that time. He also served as the recruiting coordinator, passing game coordinator, and Junior Varsity Head Coach.  Previously to joining the Wildcat coaching staff, he spent one season as the Running Backs Coach at Fairmont State University in Fairmont, WV. He also served as head of equipment and assisted with all team travel duties. Giardina’s top Running Back earned second-team All-Conference with over 850 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. Fairmont State also saw two other running backs top 200 yards with multiple touchdowns each. Giardina was a part of a historic season that gained Fairmont State its first playoff appearance in school history with an eye-popping 10-2 record. Before heading home to Division II Fairmont State for a season, Giardina spent three years in Kansas and Oklahoma coaching Junior College football at Highland Community College, and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College. During his two and a half years with NEO Football, Giardina oversaw the Running Backs and Fullbacks with the addition of Tight Ends in his final spring. Giardina had several off the field titles throughout his tenure as a Norsemen, including Executive Assistant to the Head Coach, Social Media Director, Director of Football Operations, Head of Football Equipment and Head of Football Housing. Giardina produced three second-team All-Conference players and one Honorable Mention All-Conference player during his two seasons in Miami, OK. Giardina also was able to secure the first true freshman 1,000-yard rusher in 17 years at the historic college. Along with a record in NEO Football history with three 100-yard rushers in a single game. In his first season of coaching and only season at Highland CC, Giardina assisted both the offensive Line Coach and Recruiting Coordinator. In Highland, KS, Giardina helped the Scotties earn their first winning season at 6-4 during the modern area and sent 11 players to D1 schools by the winter break. Giardina is originally from Gerrardstown, WV and is a graduate of West Virginia University with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Coaching Education with a minor in Sports and Exercise Psychology. While earning his undergraduate degree at WVU, Giardina served as a student assistant on the WVU football team. His duties included organizing and fitting equipment and apparel, as well as assisting coaches with practice and all game day activities. While at WVU, Giardina observed and learned under three coaching staffs in the Big East and Big 12 conferences, including trips to three bowl games with a win in the BCS Discover Orange Bowl. Giardina worked with Bill Bedenbaugh, David Johnson and Ron Crook under head coaches Bill Stewart and Dana Holgersen. In his free time, he crushes workouts at the local Charleston Orange Theory gyms due to fitness being a big passion of his. Coaching Experience 2023-Current: Charleston Southern University 2020-2022: Louisiana Christian University Assoc HC/OC/QB Coach 2017-2020: Louisiana Christian University WR Coach/Recruiting Coord 2016-2017: Fairmont State University RB Coach 2014-2016: Northeastern Oklahoma A&M RB/TE Coach 2013: Highland CC OL Assistant

Landry Horne joined Charleston Southern in June of 2025 as a Graduate Assistant for the Linebackers. Horne arrives at Charleston Southern after being at East Carolina as a student assistant. Horne graduated from East Carolina University in June of 2025 after finishing his degree in Sports Studies and Business Administration. While with the Pirates, he worked with the football program assisting with the scouting/recruiting in 2022, cornerbacks in 2023-2024 and safeties in 2025. He assisted in the development of Shavon Revel, a third round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Additionally, he was part of the ECU victories over Coastal Carolina in 2022 in the Birmingham Bowl and N.C. State in 2024 in the Military Bowl. Originally, he is from Surf City, North Carolina. 

Braxton Chadwick joined Charleston Southern as a graduate assistant with the defense in the summer of 2023 and was promoted to the role of Director of Football Operations/Assistant Coach during December of 2024. The 2025 season marksed his third with the Buccaneers since his arrival. He has spent time working with the Bucs' linebackers under the direction of CSU alum and assistant coach, Zack Johnson. Additionally he helps out with nearly all the behind the scenes aspects of the program including the equipment, operations and video. During the fall of 2023, he was one of the primary equipment truck drivers for the team, assisting in the transport of the team's gameday materials for road games, under the lead of his supervisor for the role, Nick Case. Chadwick arrived at CSU after graduating from Savannah State in May of 2023 with a degree in Middle Grades Education with a concentration in English and History. While there, he was a three-year member of the school's football and track and field programs. On the football team, he was the team's long snapper and made 22 consecutive starts for the Tigers, a true stalwart on the team's special teams unit while there. He was a three-time Commissioner's All-Academic Team. On the track programs, he competed in the discus, hammer, javelin and weight throws between the indoor and outdoor programs. HWhen he graduated from SSU, he was the school record holder in the hammer throw. Originally, he is from Savannah, Georgia and attended King's Ridge Christian School. He is married to the former Ellie Ackerman and had their first child, McLain, during the summer of 2024.

Cade Rowland joined Charleston Southern as a graduate assistant working with the wide receivers in the summer of 2024. The 2025 season will mark his second with the Buccaneers since his addition. Rowland arrives in Charleston after spending the past five years in the football program at Liberty. He was a wide receiver for the Flames from 2019-2021 winning a bowl game each of those seasons with two in the Cure Bowl and the third in the Lending Tree Bowl. He became a student assistant in the 2022 season and helped the team to an appearance in the Boca Raton Bowl. In the fall of 2023, Rowland was a key member of the group that finished the year with a 13-1 record, Conference USA Championship and New Year's Six Bowl game appearance with the Fiesta Bowl. Originally, he is from Santa Rose Beach, Florida and attended South Walton HS as a two-sport athlete playing football and basketball. While there, he earned multiple awards from state publications between each of the sports. He graduated from Liberty University with his bachelor's of science in sport management in May of 2023 with a minor in business.

Mike Edwards joined the Charleston Southern Football staff in the spring of 2025 as an assistant coach working with the corners. Previously, he was with the Wofford Terriers as the defensive quality control where he will work primarily with the outside linebacker and special teams. He served as a defensive graduate assistant in 2021 and 2022 at the University of West Georgia, working with the cornerbacks. Defensive back Robert Carter earned first team All-Conference and second team All-America honors under his coaching. In 2019 he was the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Denmark Olar High School. While an undergraduate at South Carolina State, he was the assistant video coordinator before moving to defensive quality control. He also was the offensive coordinator at Hunter Kinard Tyler High School. A native of Neeses, South Carolina, Edwards earned a bachelor of arts in communication from South Carolina State in 2019 and added a masters of education degree in 2022 from the University of West Georgia.

Cam Gardner joined Charleston Southern in the spring of 2026 as the team's running backs coach. He came to CSU after a one-year stint at Drake where he was the team's running backs coach which won the 2025 Pioneer League champions who advanced to the FCS Playoffs.   Gardner joined the offensive staff at Drake in February 2025 and worked with the Bulldogs for one season where he coached the running backs and returners. At the end of the season, Drake finished with the top rushing offense in the Pioneer League and the #18 in the nation.    At Drake, he coached Nick Herman, one of the highest profile backs in the nation. Herman earned a spot on the Freshman All-American Team, was a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award and was selected First-Team All-Pioneer League. He finished the year with 144 carries for 1034 yards and six touchdowns. His yards per carry average of 7.13 topped the league and was fourth in the nation while his rushing total also led the league and was a top 20 mark in FCS.   Prior to that, he worked at Montana State during the 2024 season as an offensive analyst and with the wide receivers. The team won the Big Sky conference and finished as the national runners-up, playing in the championship game.   Gardner began his playing career at the University of Utah in the summer of 2019, being a two-year member of the program before transferring to Montana State for the 2021 season. He was a wide receiver and returner at each institution. He completed his Bachelor of Science in Social Science from California State University, Chico. Coaching Experience: 2026-Present: Charleston Southern University (Running Backs) 2025: Drake University (Running Backs) 2024: Montana State University (Offensive Analyst - Wide Receivers)

Hogan Miller enters his first season at Charleston Southern University, joining the football program in the summer of 2025 as a graduate assistant. Prior to CSU, Miller served as a Video and Scouting Intern with the Arizona Rattlers, a professional team in the Indoor Football League, during the 2025 season. In that role, he oversaw all video operations and contributed to the team’s scouting and football operations efforts. During his tenure, the Rattlers earned a playoff berth as the No. 2 seed in the IFL’s Western Conference. Miller graduated from Arizona State University in May 2024 with a Bachelor of Arts in Sports Business and a Minor in Communication. His diverse background in sports includes professional experience with the Arizona Cardinals, Arizona State University Athletics, San Francisco Giants, Prep Redzone, and Sports Info Solutions. Miller is a native of Ahwatukee, Arizona. He attended Desert Vista High School, where he was a team captain and played linebacker for the Thunder football program.

Duncan enters his third year on staff at Charleston Southern after previously serving as the Defensive Coordinator at North Greenville for the 2021 & 2022 seasons. Before that, he served as the Defensive Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator from 2015-2020. Duncan spent three seasons as a DBs graduate assistant with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. The Yellow Jackets went to three bowl games during his time (Sun Bowl 2011, Sun Bowl 2012, Music City Bowl 2013). Additionally, he coached in the state of Georgia for five seasons with assistant coaching stints at Wheeler High School and Luella High School. During his time at North Greenville, Coach Duncan coached several All-American and All-Conference selections including: Aaron Watson (3x), All-Gulf-South; Johnny Worthy, Nick Jones, Defensive Rookie of Year/All-Gulf South selection Kendrick Clark.    As a player at Furman, Duncan finished his career with 116 total tackles and five interceptions. He was a four-year letterman with the Paladins and won two Southern Conference Championships.   Duncan graduated in 2005 with a major in Health and Exercise Science. He is a native of Aiken, South Carolina. He and his wife Aja have 5 children, Elijah, Alasia, Noah, Judah, & Isaiah. Coaching Experience 2023- Present: Charleston Southern University, Secondary 2015-2022: North Greenville University - Defensive Backs / DC 2014-2015: Wheeler (Ga.) High School 2011-2013: Georgia Tech University 2007-2011: Luella (Ga.) High School  

Strickland arrived at Charleston Southern in January of 2025 after working at Anderson since February 2022 in the same role and helping launch the program from its start to its inaugural season this fall. He previously worked with Giardina at Albany State University, joining the Golden Rams staff in 2020 before going to the Trojans.   In his past, he worked at IMG Academy where he was the quarterbacks coach for the 2019 season where he helped them to a 9-1 record and #8 ranking nationally. Prior to that, he was in the professional ranks in the same position for Steve Spurrier’s staff on the Orlando Apollos of the Alliance of American Football (AAF) leading them to a league-best 7-1 mark. Their starting quarterback, Garrett Gilbert, led the league in yards (2,152) and passer rating (99.1) that season and is now a member of the Washington Commanders.   He got his start in coaching at the University of South Carolina where he spent six seasons under head coaches Spurrier and Will Muschamp. While there, he worked closely with future NFL draft picks including Hayden Hurst (2018 first round), Deebo Samuel (2019 second round) and Pharoh Cooper (2016 fourth round).   Strickland earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from South Carolina in 2012. He was a three-year football letterman, three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, and a six-time member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. Also, he was a member of the National Football Foundation Hampshire Society and was the MVP of the inaugural S.C. College All-Star Bowl game.