Coach Santuan Stanley was one of the very first coaches to get onboard the Armada in 2023. A Conway native, Stanley has been a fixture in the strength and conditioning since his days as a high school standout at Carolina Forest HS. This is his third season as a member of the ACA football staff.
Stanley played football and competed in the shot put and discus on the track team at Carolina Forest, but was also involved in the Future Business Leaders of America, the Technology Honors Club and was a Theater Tech.
After high school, Stanley walked on to the football team at Coastal Carolina University and then became a student assistant coach while earning his Bachelor of Science in Exercise Sport Science in 2012.
Following the completion of his degree, Stanley moved on to Georgia Southern University, working as a graduate assistant coach in the Eagles' strength program while earning a Master of Education in Higher Education Administration in 2015. It was his time at GSU that stoked his passion for learning how the body moves and responds to exercise and strength training. It was also during his time at GSU that he began competing in weightlifting and powerlifting competitions.
Stanley returned to Horry County after completing his Master's degree and co-founded the Myrtle Beach High Performance Center, which he co-owned and operated from 2016-19. In 2019 he went out on his own, founding NXT LVL FIT in Myrtle Beach, a business he continues to operate as CEO.Â
He welcomed in Armada athletes during the 2023-24 school year when there was not a weight room for them to use. His gym has gone from being a Best Gym nominee in 2011, to runner up for Best Gym in the Grand Strand in 2022, to earning Best Gym in the Grand Strand honors for the last two years, 2023 and 2024.
Stanley said he was immediately attracted to ACA by the school's focus on both athletics and education.
"The philosophy behind the school helping students jump start their education and giving them a chance to graduate with a two year degree caught my attention," Stanley said. "The structure was a bonus as well because students, especially the athletes, can already get a feel of how a collegiate schedule would go where you have hours for class than training and practice for your sport."
Stanley and his wife, the former Cieara Conley of Delbarton, WV, are the parents of two young children, Averie (5) and Jaxson (3). They also are the proud pet parents of a dog named Sammy. His parents, Eugene and Linda, along with a younger brother, Brandon, all live and work in Horry County.
