Coastal Carolina Professional Athletes

For years, Isaiah Likely waited behind Mark Andrews in Baltimore, flashing enough to tantalize but never getting the runway to prove what he could do as a featured weapon. The Coastal Carolina product is making up for lost time in New York — and doing it loudly.

In Week 5 against Washington, Likely turned in the kind of performance that forces a reckoning. His 11 catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns were all career highs, helping spark a Giants comeback that ultimately ended in a 27-27 tie. The historic output made Likely the centerpiece of a rally, even if New York couldn't finish it off.

Through five games, the numbers are hard to argue with: 33 receptions and four touchdowns, placing him second among all NFL tight ends in catches. That production puts him in elite company at the position — and in a market that consistently undervalues tight ends until they're impossible to ignore, Likely is crossing that threshold fast.

What's driving it isn't just volume — it's connectivity. Likely has spoken openly about his growing chemistry with quarterback Jameis Winston, describing the Giants' offense as "taking the right trajectory." Winston, who faces his former Saints team in Week 6, has leaned on Likely as his security blanket and red-zone weapon, a dual role that few tight ends can credibly fill simultaneously.

The reliance is structural, too. Despite spending $48.34 million in free agency, the Giants' passing game runs almost entirely through Malik Nabers and Likely. That concentration of targets is a front-office concern worth watching — PFF's early 2027 mock draft already has New York addressing receiver — but for Likely, the thin supporting cast means opportunity. He's the second read, the checkdown, the fade route in the end zone, the answer when a play breaks down. He's everything.

The arc from Coastal Carolina to this moment is worth appreciating. The Chanticleers have quietly built a pipeline of NFL talent, but none have arrived on a stage this bright. Likely is no longer a depth piece or a change-of-pace option. At 26 years old, he's a genuine No. 1 option in a major-market offense, and he's playing like he knows it.

The Giants have their issues — a tie in Week 5 doesn't paper over roster gaps — but Likely isn't one of them. He's the solution.

When Malik Nabers' knee became a question mark heading into Week 5, the New York Giants needed someone to step into the spotlight. Coastal Carolina's Isaiah Likely answered.

The third-year tight end turned in the most productive outing of his Giants tenure in Sunday's 36–24 win over Arizona, hauling in 7 catches for 66 yards as New York's offense leaned heavily on his dependability. With Nabers' availability clouded by knee soreness that kept him limited in practice, Likely wasn't just a safety valve — he was the focal point.

More Than a Replacement Option

The timing couldn't be more telling. Likely has quietly built a reputation as one of the more technically sound receiving tight ends in the league, and the Giants' coaching staff appears to be leaning into that. Per Sports Illustrated's fantasy breakdown ahead of Week 5, Nabers' uncertainty directly elevated Likely's role in both the real-life offense and fantasy circles, drawing attention as a high-floor, high-upside target in a passing game that still needs a reliable weapon to function.

That trust isn't going away even if Nabers returns to full health. A tight end who can generate seven targets — and convert them — in a single game is a chess piece, not a stopgap.

Defense Takes Note

Likely's emergence is registering on opposing sidelines, too. Washington's scouting report flagged him specifically, with analysts noting that containing Likely and limiting the Giants' big-play capability would be a genuine test for Daronte Jones' defense. That's the kind of film-room attention reserved for players who have moved past "interesting" and into "problem."

For Chanticleers faithful, this is the fruition of what Coastal Carolina's program has been quietly building toward — producing NFL contributors who are ready when the moment demands it.

The Bigger CCU Picture

Likely is the most prominent Chant in the league right now, but he's far from the only one suiting up on Sundays. Across the NFL, thirteen Coastal Carolina alumni are on active rosters: Tarron Jackson and Willie Lampkin with the Eagles, Clayton Isbell alongside Likely in New York, Josaiah Stewart with the Rams, Brock Hoffman anchoring the Steelers' interior line, and several others scattered across the league. The program's pipeline is real, even if Likely is the one currently commanding the brightest spotlight.

At 66 yards and seven receptions in a blowout win, Likely's Week 5 line won't make any highlight reel. But it signals something more durable — a player carving out a defined role on an offense that needed him, delivering when asked, and earning the kind of defensive attention that follows only those who've proven they can't be ignored.