Coaches Corner: Chambliss is who you need in your foxhole
Carrollton High School's head coach Sean Calhoun raved about Chaz Chambliss and what he's done for the program.
“When Chaz steps on the field for Carrollton High School, I know that I am going to get a kid who is going to go his absolute hardest every single play," Calhoun said. "There are no plays off from Chaz. There are no loafs. Play one, the opening kickoff, is as hard as he’ll go as the last play of the game if it was 4th and 1 in the state championship. That’s just how Chaz is and how he is wired. I know that I am getting a great leader, a great teammate, and I know I am getting someone I can count on. When you talk about having someone in your foxhole and somebody that has your back, Chaz Chambliss is going to be one of the first ones, if not the first one, that I choose. I am just so thankful that he’s been a part of our program.
“When you have kids like him and when you have Chaz, you’re always going to have a chance to win because he is going to force the other players around him to get on his level,” he continued. “He’s not super vocal, he’s getting better, but he is just a natural, quiet leader, but extremely loud in his actions. How he works in the weight room, and by his 3.9 GPA in all honors and AP classes and his play."
Calhoun said that Chambliss doesn't just play football for Friday nights and that he gives his all on every play in every practice, situational drill and walk-through.
"What doesn’t get talked about enough is how are these kids at practice. Do they do just enough to get by during the week just to make it to Friday night? Play one on an inside drill against our scout team is as hard as he is going to go on Friday night," Calhoun said. "He is an unbelievable practice player and he’s just a joy to be around."
What can Georgia fans expect from Chambliss once he steps foot into Athens and under the Sanford Stadium lights? Well, Calhoun says that they are going to be able to relate to Chambliss on a personal level.
"When he gets to Athens and inside Sanford Stadium, people are going to be able to relate to him," Calhoun said. "He’s just a hard-working, fight for everything he’s had type of guy. The good Lord blessed him with some good genes, but he’s making the most out of it. He is squeezing that lemon and getting every single drop out of it and takes nothing for granted.
He’s been an inspiration for me, unfortunately he just lost his father a couple months ago. His father fought through a stroke during the summer before last year. You’re talking about a kid whose dad was his best friend and he just came to school every day and being able to do that at that age shows a real maturity that his mom and dad instilled in him. I think that he is going to be an instant sensation on campus. He is going to make the program better. I’m not saying he is going to step in and become a Freshman All-American, but he is going to make that locker room better, that weight room better, and the team GPA better, just everything will be better because of Chaz. I'd be shocked if by the time he finishes in Athens people don’t know his face. That is the type of kid he is. He is going to strive to be that, too.”
As for what most folks wouldn't know about Chambliss, Calhoun says that he is an avid country boy at heart and that he is even quite the handyman.
“He loves to hunt and fish," Calhoun said. "He is a country boy that was born in Mississippi. His father was in the military, so they moved around a little bit. That’s where his regimented, all about business, business decision in everything I do type mentality comes from. He’s very military-esque and he just loves the outdoors. He’s also an extremely good handyman. During this quarantine, he actually built his own workout apparatuses in his garage. He’s also an old soul. He shows up to school with a tin can of coffee and it’s just straight black, as black as coffee can get."
Coach Calhoun said that when Chambliss text him to let him know that he wanted to do a commitment video, he was taken aback. He knew that wasn't Chambliss style, but once he saw the video, Calhoun knew that it fit him to a tee.
"When he was texting me about meeting up to do a commitment video, it kind of caught me off guard, because that’s not his thing. But, when you see the video, it fits him to a tee. There is nothing said, you just see him working out and then he just shows the hat for Georgia and he just goes about his business."