Liberty Flames Roster 2019 Flames Roster

Head Coach: Turner Gill        2017 Salary: $947,281        Offensive Coordinator: Joe Dailey       Defensive Coordinator: Robert Wimberly         

Stadium: Williams Stadium       Surface: Turf        City: Lynchburg        State: Virginia

The 2018 season will be the Liberty Flames' first in the FBS. They have the right coach to take them to a higher level. There are also some building blocks for the Flames to use in their first season in order for them to take some initial steps towards success.

Turner Gil enters his seventh season at the helm of the Flames. Gil knows how to win. He was part of a national championship team as a quarterback at Nebraska. As a coach, he won a MAC title with Buffalo last decade before flaming out at Kansas. Gil knows how to build a program, and his experience will be crucial as Liberty begins at a new level.

The Flames may be better than many people think in their debut campaign. The Flames beat Baylor last season while still competing in the FCS. While it was a down year for Baylor, beating an FCS team from a Power Six conference was still an accomplishment. Quarterback Stephen Calvert gives the Flames an air threat which should help them move the ball. He has Antonio Gandy-Golden back as his top target. The two combined for Gandy-Golden to have a 1000-yard season last year.

Liberty announced its FBS move without much lead time. As a result, the Flames come in without a conference affiliation or much other FBS infrastructure. However, a solid coach and a veteran quarterback are enough to help get Liberty started. The Flames have been competitive in the past against FBS schools so there is some optimism.