On today’s episode, I speak with Coach Angela Villarreal-Ortiz from the Charleston Southern University Flag Football program in Charleston, South Carolina. We talk about building a brand-new NCAA Division I program from the ground up, including recruiting a strong mix of the Class of 2027 and experienced transfers. Coach shares what she looks for in recruits, emphasizing versatility, character, and the importance of showcases and tournaments in the evaluation process. Lastly, we discuss what student-athletes can expect from Charleston Southern, including the supportive campus culture, the opportunity for significant scholarship funding, and her vision for competing in the Big South as the program launches.
Matt: [00:00:00] Hi, everybody. Welcome to Discover College Flag. Today I’m lucky enough to be joined by Coach Angela from Charleston Southern. Welcome, coach.
Coach: Hi. Thank you for having me.
Matt: Yeah, thanks for being here. Excited to talk to you. The Charleston Southern announced, I guess, was it January that they were gonna be, uh, starting a program?
And, and since then, the Big South has said, “Hey, we’re, we’re going all in.” Mm-hmm. Um, and you guys officially, your first season will be the ’27, ’28 school year. Is that right?
Coach: Yes. Yeah. So we’ve got some time right now to, to build really. That’s the main thing.
Matt: Yeah, I mean, that’s fantastic hearing, uh, that, uh, they, they gave, they gave the program that much time to get going, and it wasn’t like, “Hey-” It’s great
“You’re, you’ you’re, you’re on the-” Yeah … “you’re on the ball for tomorrow,” right?
Coach: Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah. That happens, that happens a lot for, for programs that are kind of up and, and coming and everything, so I was, um, thankful that there was a good amount of time, you know, for us to actually recruit and scout and do things that, um, [00:01:00] you know, you would normally want more time for, which is building from the ground up.
So yeah.
Matt: Yeah. So with, with that being said, y- you know, you’re, you’ve got really a, a full year before the, those kids would be coming in- Mm-hmm … to even start classes. So how are you approaching building the team in terms of, you know, incoming fr- ’cause you don’t wanna have a full team of freshmen, right? You gotta try to- Right
mix it up somehow. So, so how are you- Mm-hmm … kind of approaching building this first team?
Coach: I mean, honestly, right now, a whole lot of the pool that, that I’m looking for is, is a lot of the class of 2027, so it is gonna be a good amount of those freshmen that are coming in, um, just because it honestly is a really talented class.
Like, these are, these are some players that have been playing for a long time and have been playing together for a long time, um, that are now just all graduating at the same time, and that’s gonna be really exciting. Um, I’ve seen them play for, I mean, a good amount of them play, you know, for years now. So it’s really cool kind of seeing their development and seeing, [00:02:00] um, just how great they’ve gotten and, and how they’ve grown and everything.
And so, um, that’s where I’m pulling majority from, is, is the ’27 class, for sure. Um, but definitely a good amount of, uh, transfers as well. I know we’re gonna have, you know, other girls that are looking to transfer, you know, maybe get into, um, a bigger program or, or the Big South, right, and have something to kinda develop into.
Um, and a lot of those girls are, are just really, really good, and they’ll be coming with experience. So the idea is having a mix of, of, you know, the new class, but also a mix of girls that have playing experience at the collegiate level that will kinda help mesh a whole lot of that chemistry and everything.
Matt: Now, when you talk about- transfers and collegiate experience, right? There’s only so many, let’s call it, let- we’ll say the varsity programs, right? The ones that, that the NAIA has been around for a while, right? Mm-hmm. Or you’ve got a lot of junior colleges, but there’s also- Yeah … a boatload of, say, [00:03:00] the, the Power Four, the big D1s, ’cause they have club programs, and even the smaller- Sure
club programs. Sure. So are, are you looking at, you know, some of those players too that maybe, maybe they played club somewhere, but now they’re gonna jump to varsity or, or does that- Um- Are you able to even-
Coach: I mean, technically- How would you even look into that? Yeah … you can re- you can recruit anybody, right?
Yeah. Like, there’s a lot of these… Yeah, there’s a lot of club teams that have emerged right now that are starting club and then will eventually go into varsity. Like, there is definitely gonna be, you know, tournaments and those, like, things that you can go and recruit from that are club players. I would say, um, a majority is gonna be coming from, you know, players that are already playing in, in college, but it’s an actual Full flag football program, even at the NAIA level, that’s where pretty much all of the best players have come from, and a whole lot of them are transferring into, like you said, Power Four schools and everything, right?
And a lot of those NAIAs, um, are pretty much what started a whole lot of all of this, right? Like now, now these, these schools are emerging, but a lot of those players [00:04:00] are still there. So, um, and that’s just based off of, like, chemistry and, and, um, but also, like, having that bond and everything with their team and their coaches and, and they’re fine, you know, staying there and being a s- very successful program at that level, right?
And so, um, hopefully by the time we start, because a lot of our schools will be those emerging varsity Division I, you know, schools, and hopefully the NCAA championship will be live our first year as well, that’s gonna be huge. So I feel like that’s gonna be the perfect time, um, to pull from, from other universities, whether maybe it’s club if…
You know, I would not mind a club if these players are outstanding and, and they’re great and, you know, recruit them just the same really. They, they should be coming with the same things that I’m looking for in, in any other school, including NAIA, Division II, Division III. It doesn’t really matter, um, as long as they can play, and as long as, you know, they, they have all of the, the attributes that I’m looking for.
[00:05:00] So kind of pulling from everywhere, but, but yeah.
Matt: Well, uh, on that class of ’27 front, uh-
Coach: Mm …
Matt: is it, are you mostly looking for… Or, or when you look at players, I guess, when you’re watching players, evaluating players, is it mostly at, say, club/AAU tournaments, or is it at the high school level? Is it both? Like, ’cause I- I think- Yeah
a lot of the players, I think you yourself, right, are multi-sport- Mm-hmm … athletes when it comes to- Right … flag football. So, so- Yeah … how does that play into it? Where, where are you finding players?
Coach: I mean, honestly, for flag, there’s just so many outlets for it at this point. Like, a lot of players that have been playing for a long time typically have, um, like, a travel club team that they’re on that they’ll meet, like, at different tournaments for, whether it’s gonna be, um, you know, the, the normal USA Flag, which is now IFLAG, you know, tournaments, pretty much all high school, all levels.
There’s kids, high school athletes, all the adult athletes. Like, those that are playing on national team will go and play at those tournaments too, including, you know, the bigger, [00:06:00] um, worlds tournaments and stuff like that. Um, those are, like, the main ones. I’m, I’m assuming everybody kind of knows about those, but I feel like for high school, class of 2027, um, they have tons of high school tournaments going on right now as well.
There’s tons of showcases going on. It’s the summertime, so there’s a lot of, um, you know, combine showcases that these girls can go and, like, debut themselves at, and college coaches can kind of go and, and see them up front- You know, doing all of their performance-type tests and things like that, but also a lot of scrimmaging and gameplay.
Um, so literally on display for you to go and see, like as a coach, and then of course having them have the opportunity to show what they can do as well. Um, aside from that, it’s of course all of the tournaments, so a lot of seven-on-seven tournaments. There’s five-on-five a whole lot right now for club, for flag.
Um, so they kind of play hand-in-hand. They’re of course very different, but also, um, you know, from what I [00:07:00] think, if you can play fives you should be fine transferring and, and playing sevens for sure. Um, so I like to see a little mix of that. But honestly just traveling everywhere where all of these tournaments and all of these big, big time showcases are at so that I can, you know, see, see wherever the best talent is honestly.
Matt: Well, and w- and we’re starting to see more of these camps, combines, uh- Yeah … clinics, whatever you wanna call them popping up. Are, are those- Sure … are those part a, you know, something you’re participating in? Do you think those are important for, for girls trying to, to, to make their jump?
Coach: I think they’re pretty important, especially for those that, um…
It’s mainly also for those that don’t play as much and regularly like on a club team. Like, let’s say they’re, they’re, they’re in an area where there’s not a whole lot of that going on. Um, so I usually encourage them to go and like find a place to where they have that going on, like a showcase or something.
Like, that gives you all of the access to coaches and [00:08:00] being able to actually, you know, go through that process, and it makes it easy for me to, to be able to evaluate, you know, not only their play, but like what they can do physically off the bat, right? And that, a lot of that can kind of transfer most of the time.
So, um, yeah, I mean, I, I feel like that’s mainly for those that don’t have a whole lot going on throughout the summer for games and everything, but a mix. Everybody has their opportunities for those honestly.
Matt: Okay. Well, is there a roster size that, that you’re trying to hit or that the school says, “Hey, we wanna have this many players,” that you think is, you know, ideal for that first year?
Coach: Um, I would say that, well, ideally for us anywhere, we’re looking for maybe 20 to 25 athletes. Um, I’m not really looking for a ton more than 25. I know that’s kind of a number I was given. Um, I know a lot of other schools, like, jump and, and do a whole lot more, um, just for, um, injury prevention and things like that and, and having more off the [00:09:00] bench.
But I don’t know, I don’t really wanna have a whole lot off the bench. I, I wanna have, like, a core group that, you know, plays the most, and of course having a good amount that can kind of go in and out as needed and do the same job, right? Like, these are girls that can kind of, um, play anywhere at this point.
Flag football I feel like is a very versatile sport, so a lot of girls don’t always only play one position. Um, and so versatility to me is gonna be the biggest thing, and I feel like that’s said a lot, but, like, genuinely that’s r- what I’m looking for because I would actually want to use them for all of the different things that they can do, um, instead of just putting them in one spot.
So yeah. And, and, and- That’s, that’s a little-
Matt: S- and, and with that, you know, you see a lot of times at, at the high school level especially, but even at the club level that y- y- a lot of girls playing both ways, doing, you know, kind of d- all over the place. Should, should you expect that at the collegiate level, or are you people gonna be…
Or do you think it’s gonna be more of a [00:10:00] focus of, you know, “I really wanna use you for your offense especially. We’re gonna have somebody else doing on defense.” Like, are you s- do you see it splitting similar to, you know, a men’s tackle football team where you’re very much pigeoned, or do you think there’s gonna be a lot of movement both sides?
Coach: I feel like, um, honestly for flag anyways, in, in my opinion and what I’ve seen work really well, um, even for my play, is, is having the versatility to, yes, have a main position, but also being versatile to where if I tell you, “I need you to go and play defense,” or, “I need you to be plugged in here,” um, or, “Do this or that,” you know, I’m confident that you’ll be able to attack that position just as well as you would your main position.
Main position just meaning this is where you’re starting, this is what you’ll come back to, but I may move you around and use you in different positions. So, um, that’s what I l- that’s how I kind of look at it anyway.
Matt: Okay. Well, makes sense. Um- Let’s talk a little bit a- about the school. [00:11:00] Uh, I, I mean, I know you’re, you’re not there full time yet and, and full bore, but, uh, something about Charleston Southern must have, uh, piqued your interest and, and made you excited enough to take the job and, and- Mm-hmm
shift away from, from your Texas roots there. So, um, what, what was it about Charleston Southern? What are some of the things you found and that you really like about the school?
Coach: Um, I would say for the most part, the first thing was, was how welcoming everybody was. Like, even those that had no idea who I was, they didn’t know that I was gonna be, you know, the head coach coming on board or anything like that, everybody just kind of treated you the same as, you know, welcoming you in, knowing you were new, and like asking you, you know, if you needed anything or, or if you were lost or anything like that.
Like, they were willing to help you in any way. Um, but also just so, like, warm and everything. And so I feel like I’ve had a ton of support really, really quickly, and understanding of, you know, how new the sport is, at least, [00:12:00] you know, at that school or in that area and everything, and, and just being able to provide, um, as much support and help as I’ve needed or, or didn’t need.
They’ve kind of allowed me to, to take on the program as I see fit, and given me freedom in that sense, but also have always been there if I needed anything specifically. So, um, it was honestly right off the bat, before I even accepted the position. It was just, “How can I help you?” And so that was a big thing for me.
I feel like everybody that goes there, everybody that works there, um, is the same in that sense. I mean, aside from that, I, I love that it, it is also a Christian-based university. That’s, you know, something that I believe in and, and love, and is a big part of me. Um, but also it’s, it’s just the fact that being a Christian-based university, everybody that will work there is always having that background of, you know- Treating you, like, with respect and making sure that you’re taken care of type of thing.
Like, [00:13:00] that’s, that’s the whole vibe there, and I love it. Um, but other than that, I mean, the area I, I would say is completely different. Love it. It’s so nice. I’m actually gonna have four seasons, so that’s nice. Um, it gets hot there, but it is not a humidity insane Texas heat, so that would be… That’s gonna be interesting.
And actually being able to be near beaches and the water and everything, um, that’s a… That was, that was a big selling point for me, too. I thought that was really cool. So I feel like a lot of athletes, um, will enjoy that part definitely as well.
Matt: Yeah, for sure. Well, I know this is hard to predict the future, but I’m gonna make you try here.
Okay. Let’s, let’s assume we’re a year ahead, right? Mm-hmm. And you’re coming in, it’s, it’s the start of the school year for that ’27, ’28, uh, inaugural class and team. Kind of give me just a- an overview, what should a player expect to be doing in that fall off-season? Mm-hmm. And what do you expect that spring in-season, [00:14:00] day-to-day, you know, what, what, what can they expect?
Coach: I mean, the, the good thing about all of the assistants that we have there from our academic team, our strength and conditioning staff, all of the athletic training department, um, everybody goes hand-in-hand in, like, helping making sure everything’s put together the right way. And it makes it so easy on the student, on the athlete especially, ’cause their schedule is basically built out for them.
They know where to be and, and who to be seeing and who to be in front of and when practice is, when, when your training is, when your lift is that day. Like, all these things are gonna be put in order, and I thought that was really, really cool, and easy on my end too to make sure that these athletes have a schedule.
They know what to do specifically, and we’re keeping everything on time. Um, and so what they would expect from, from the most part, of course, going to school, they’ll, they’ll typically be having all of their classes in the mornings. Um, we’re either gonna have an early morning lift or, um, an afternoon lift depending on the season.
So for an off-season, they’re gonna have a [00:15:00] cup- couple of those throughout the week, and our strength and conditioning coaches and staff, um, build out their programs full, full on. We basically will meet, and, and I’ll let them know what my practice schedule looks like, and they’ll work around that for all of their team lifts as well.
Um, aside from that, there’s gonna be conditioning days and things like that to where we’re gonna have a few of those throughout the day before season as we’re prepping. Um, so honestly, it’ll be about three to four days where they’re either lifting or they have their conditioning days, and then pretty much five days out of the week they’re, they’re gonna have their practices as well, um, preparing especially because it’ll be that first, um, semester before the official season starts, and so they need as much time together and as much work together as possible.
So the main thing is, yes, they’ll get their skill work, they’ll get their, their lift, their training. All of that stuff is important, but I feel like the team chemistry, the team bonding, being able to, like, do things together as a team, run, you know, offenses, run [00:16:00] defenses, like, being able to do that together, um, consistently is what will actually help them be able to do that in a game time situation, right?
Like, them practicing and training individually isn’t gonna help them on the field playing together. So a lot of That’s gonna come from their practices, scrimmaging, different things like that. Just honestly building the chemistry and learning how each other moves, ’cause a lot of them may not have played together at that point.
So the main thing is being able to build that so that it’s not an issue come, um, the first season in, in ’28.
Matt: Okay. Awesome. Yeah.
Coach: Well,
Matt: I d- and you may not be able to answer this, but I’m gonna ask it anyway just to… You probably have a good idea, and I’m not gonna hold you to hard numbers here, but I know that- Mm-hmm
you know, a lot of, a lot of kids are thinking, okay, it’s a new sport- Mm-hmm … Division I, scholarship money. Mm-hmm. Uh, you know, what… So give me an idea w- w- what’s out there, what could somebody who, you know, is looking maybe for [00:17:00] athletic scholarship money expect from a, from a new Division I flag football team?
Coach: Um, I would say it’s different across the board, but if we’re talking about Charleston Southern, they, they definitely have the opportunity to, to have a full scholarship. So-
Matt: Wow.
Coach: That’s- Pretty much as much as they need. Wow. If that… I hope that answers you. Yeah,
Matt: yeah. Well, I mean, obviously there’s, uh, a lot of…
especially girls, right- Mm-hmm … are high achievers, uh, if they’re athletes, uh, going to this level, so they have maybe have good academic, uh, academic scholarship money potential, plus athletic ability, uh, athletic scholarship potential. Yeah. So you’re saying the, the- I think honestly it’s- … ability is there for stacking and, and potentially- Yeah
for, for-
Coach: Absolutely …
Matt: getting your school taken care of. All right. Good.
Coach: Yeah. It’s a mix of both, honestly. So anybody wanting to, to gain as much as they possibly can, especially at the university, like division one level is, is gonna be that academic part of things ’cause it’ll only help them. Yeah. Um, like, they, they definitely have the potential to get a lot of academic scholarship money and then [00:18:00] stacking their, their, their athletic money on and, and there you go, you got a full ride, honestly.
Wow.
Matt: Wow.
Coach: Um, so yeah, it’s possible.
Matt: Good, good stuff. Well, let’s talk about the Big South a little bit. They, you know- Sure … announced it’s gonna be a conference sport. There’s a few teams that have announced, but then there’s some that maybe they’re starting with club and moving it- Yeah … to varsity. And, kind of- Mm-hmm
what are you hearing? What are you expecting that, that first year to look like in terms of a conference schedule and a non-conference schedule- Mm-hmm … and, and what that might look like?
Coach: Honestly, right now, to me, it’s still kind of up in the air and nothing has been confirmed, but I know, um, there will be at least a few more of us, like, ready to go varsity level by the time ’27, ’28 comes.
I know currently ’26, ’27, the only school that’s actually, um, going to have, like, a varsity season, um, will be Gardner-Webb in our conference. Aside from that, that’s it. Everybody else is pretty much either starting club or they haven’t announced yet. But a majority of them should be [00:19:00] ready to go by the time ’27, ’28 comes.
So, um, yeah, I mean, the… it should be pretty good. I, I’m assuming most of them, if not all, will be. Um, but I know for example, like, um, us, USC upstate will, um, High Point I believe is doing club, but I’m sure they’ll, they’ll transfer into, um, varsity pretty soon that, that coming year as well. Um, Winthrop as well- So hopefully a majority of our conference will be by that time.
That’s the hope.
Matt: So do you see also maybe augmenting the schedule with, I mean, the Carolinas have a lot of D2 programs, uh- Sure … and some D3s in the area. Yeah. Do you think that you’ll kind of-
Coach: Oh, yeah. Yeah … have a blended schedule?
Matt: Absolutely. Yeah.
Coach: Definitely. So, like, that’s kind of what a good amount of, like, the other Division One levels are doing this year, because a lot of us aren’t live this year too.
So, um, like, like, for example, you know, the Cal Poly, Nebraska is, like, all of them, right? They’re, they’re gonna be your bigger schools as well, but they’re also, um, they don’t [00:20:00] have anybody else in their conference. So what they have to do is, you know, schedule pretty much as many, I’m sure, Division Ones- -level schools as they can, um, and make the trips out, you know, to, to put them on their schedule and go play other schools that will be competitive.
Um, and I’m sure they’re still going to, as we will, um, look at playing, like, the, the more competitive NAIA schools, because a lot of them are very much great programs. And so going to play basically the best flag football programs, whether they’re, you know, any division doesn’t really matter at that point until, of course, our entire conference goes live.
That’ll be awesome. That’s gonna be a good time. But regardless, even when it does, I’m sure we’ll have other, um, bigger schoo- schools, like, on our schedule and everything as well.
Matt: Okay. Well, Coach, I really appreciate your time. I’m gonna leave you with one last question, and that is if, if you had one piece of advice for, you know- Hmm
any girl, could be junior, senior, transfer, whatever, that, that, that is going through this [00:21:00] college recruiting process wanting to play flag football in college- Yeah … what, what piece of advice would you have for
Coach: them? Um, I would say the main thing is just, you know, trusting your gut on different things. You, you know, a lot of the best players, um, whether you have a ton of offers or not, like, typically just going where you feel comfortable, where you feel is the right fit, no matter what the program is, you know, whether it’s a Division I, Division II, NAIA.
Like, honestly, it’s, it’s where you know you’re going to develop well, where they’re gonna take care of you, and where coaches are actually going to pour into you, um, and knowing that that’s gonna be the biggest factor of their development and how they do, you know, going into their college playing time.
Like, I, I would say to just, like I said, go through the process, take their time, don’t rush into anything, um, and just ask all of the questions, honestly. Like, continue asking questions. Like, no coach is going to tell you no to a question. Like, honestly, most coaches hopefully are going to be, you know, pretty straightforward and everything on, on [00:22:00] different things and, and give you all of the feedback.
So just continue asking for feedback and continue working. Honestly, it’s a consistency thing. So, um, just be aware that, you know, if you’re trying to get recruited, coaches that are in the area or if they’re, they’re watching you play, they’re looking at everything, right? Like, as soon as you walk in through the door, they’re looking at how your mannerisms are, how you treat other people, how you treat other players, how you treat your teammates on the field if things go wrong.
Like, yeah, you’re trying to look for the big plays, but I’m also very much watching, like, how they are and how they behave and how they treat each other. So it’s definitely a big character thing for me, and I’m sure it is for a lot of other coaches, because that’s pretty much what’s going to Make great players last and actually develop and, and be consistent.
Um, ’cause there’s great players everywhere, but there’s gotta be, there’s got that, gotta be that even fold of, of good character too. So, um, yeah, that’s, that’s my advice.
Matt: Awesome. Well, Coach, really appreciate it. Wish you the best of luck as you build this inaugural [00:23:00] team and, uh, we’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for you and, and seeing how you guys do in that Big South.
Coach: Thank you so much. I’m excited. I appreciate it.
Matt: Thank you.