CONWAY, S.C. — Josh Boyd can still work out although he is mindful to listen to his body and not go overboard.
The former Richland Northeast quarterback suffered a near-fatal heart attack in his junior season of 2018. Boyd was playing basketball at a local gym he collapsed. Fortunately a group of firefighters were playing in the same gym and gave him CPR, saving his life.
Open-heart surgery and a recovery followed and while his playing career ended on that day at Sonny's SportsPlex, he is still very much involved in the game and not as a casual observer.
Josh is a student assistant coach at Coastal Carolina. He primarily works with the quarterbacks in practice although he spends time with the receivers. During the game, Josh has a clipboard and pen in hand as he charts the specific play calls, along with down and distance. Josh is often just feet away from head coach Jamey Chadwell and his first job is to listen to what play is being called which can be challenging in a loud stadium.
This role is an upgrade from his freshman season at Coastal Carolina when his duties were not as detailed. In fact his second season as a student assistant has seen him join the travel squad which he enjoys.
Another role for Josh is a living example of the importance of living every day to its fullest, a message he will give any player who asks about Josh's road to Conway. While he is majoring in pre-med, Josh has gotten the coaching bug and the only question is how far he wants to pursuit it. But working under the CCU coaching staff is certainly going to lend itself to a lot of learning and that could be the springboard for Boyd if he were to start carrying a whistle for a living.