Didn't see this posted here ... but it's worth a read.
www.wdrb.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Caleb Chandler has seen some things. When he committed to the University of Louisville football program as a 4-star offensive line prospect out of Jefferson, Georgia, back in January of 2017, Bobby Petrino was still the head coach. Lamar Jackson was still the quarterback, had just won the Heisman Trophy and had decided to come back to school for another year.
Three games into his college career, ESPN’s College GameDay was on campus, Rick Pitino was the guest picker, and all was right with the U of L world.
Let’s just say that’s not how it has always gone since then. Chandler has been through all the tumult. The fall of Petrino. Enough drama to fill a mini-series. Losses, rebuilding, rebranding. A pandemic.
But heading into his sixth-year senior season, Chandler not only has survived, but thrived. The 6-4, 300-pound guard is a preseason All-American and the top NFL prospect on Louisville’s roster. And he’s hoping to leave U of L football on the same high note where he found it.
He sat down with me last week for a wide-ranging conversation, just back from an OL Masterminds seminar hosted by Duke Manyweather.
“Looking back from the first day I walked in here in May of 2017, just looking at the years and the records and everything going through here, you know, it's just crazy to really think about how long I have been here,” he said. “But I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've enjoyed the process. It turned me into a man being here. And I'm just looking to leave in the right way and that's winning an ACC championship here at Louisville.”
It wasn’t always a given that he would be back. Chandler certainly could’ve opted for the NFL Draft after last season. ProFootballFocus.com said he played “flawless football” in the final half of the 2021 season. It has tabbed him one of the nation’s top 10 offensive linemen coming back for this season. He’s been named a preseason All-American by both Athlon and The Sporting News.
But a couple of factors helped bring him back to Louisville. First was a health issue. He needed offseason shoulder surgery to get back to 100%, and knew that would be an issue in the draft process. He also waited to see what longtime friends and roommates Malik Cunningham and Marshon Ford were going to do. When both of them decided to come back for another season, he was in, too. He said he owes a lot to those two teammates, and some others.
“Malik Cunningham and Russ Yeast are two guys that I'll be thankful forever were in my life,” Chandler said. “They made this college journey easier and smoother, and they made every day coming here enjoyable. Russ was my roommate for a couple years. Malik was my roommate for a couple years. Those two guys have really, really changed my life in some ways. And Marshon Ford, we’re roommates now and we've gotten close over the last year and a half. And he's changed my life and his family has changed my life in ways that I can't repay them enough, just by the love that they showed me. Those three guys for sure really have made a huge impact on my time here.”
Chandler was a defensive lineman and tight end for much of his childhood, but moved to the offensive line in high school. A move back to Jefferson, Ga., a fast-growing town in rural northeast Georgia, cemented his offensive line home, and turned his attention toward the possibilities football could open up in his life.
“Senior year high school was when I really first started coming on, because I didn't go to any camps or anything,” he said. “I was I just using my film as my camp. And if nobody wanted me at the time, that was OK with me because I was focused on winning the state championship for my high school. But around then is like when I realized I had to put down the baseball glove and really focus on football. I love baseball, too, but I really started taking football really seriously and thinking this could be my future.”
Wait? Baseball? Are you telling us Dan McDonnell could’ve had a 6-4, 300-pound power hitter somewhere in the lineup?
“Oh definitely,” Chandler said. “Me and Russ used to try to walk on, but after we talked to coaches about our schedules and how tough it would be for football, we both made the decision to just stick to football. But I would’ve loved to try to walk on for the Louisville Cardinals.”
He’s done pretty well for himself sticking to football. And over this summer, he has worked on picking up a new position, taking first-team reps at center, something he expects to do throughout the season, though his primary position at guard won’t change. The versatility will help his NFL stock, and his position at the next level might well entail snapping the ball.
Louisville coach Scott Satterfield says he has the mentality to do it.
“Caleb's had a great offseason,” Satterfield said. “Man, just watching him run yesterday, I was thinking he looks amazing. He's in great shape. He's got the size, you know, 310, 315 pounds, moving great. We're actually working him at center as well as guard, he’s been starting at guard here for 3 years but we want to give him more some more versatility. Obviously we’re trying to, you know, help promote him for the next level, being able to play center and guard. He's very smart. He can make all the calls. So it's been it's been awesome having him here coming back for this last go around.”
Chandler said there are some challenges to the center spot, but he’s picking it up.
“I'm enjoying it, the more I get better at it, too,” he said. “It's difficult. I always knew how tough the center job was. They have the keys to the Bentley, they call everything. They have to make this and that adjustment while snapping the ball and blocking at the same time. I just didn't know years past how good I could be at that, but after getting practice and having a whole spring off, just getting my snaps and footwork and everything down, I'm really excited to learn and get to play the center position even more. And hopefully that happens during the season. I know I'll be taking live reps during fall camp at center. And I'm really looking forward to it.”
Chandler said he wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t believe Louisville could have a potent offense this season. He said the team felt like it was so close in so many games last season that it expects to break through in similar situations this year.
He blocked for Jackson and played alongside another NFL-caliber lineman in Mekhi Becton. Now that the accolades are coming his way, he said it’s not affecting him.
“It feels really good to see all the hard work is starting to pay off and getting the recognition,” he said. “It's different than other years. I’m really not used to it. But it's also different because like, it's an honor but everybody knows my whole mindset. And the one thing that I'm looking for this year, that's getting to the ACC Championship. And I'm so I'm very blessed and honored to get all this recognition.
“I'm not about to put any extra pressure on myself. I'm just going to do what I know -- and that's my job. And that's what I try to explain to a lot of guys, especially on the line. I'm like, ‘Yeah, let's go out there and dominate, let's go impose our will, let's go set the tone. But rule No. 1, we have to do our job first and everything else will come with it.’ So that's still the same mindset right now. Skill block for No. 3 (Cunningham), give him an open field, let him make some plays, throw the ball, toss the ball, protect him, keep them clean, keep the running backs clean. That's just still my same mentality.”
He says he thinks Louisville can have a top offense in the nation.
(con't below)
CRAWFORD | Louisville's Chandler, preseason All-American, looks to go out on a high note
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Caleb Chandler has seen some things. When he committed to the University of Louisville football program as a 4-star offensive line prospect out of Jefferson, Georgia,
LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Caleb Chandler has seen some things. When he committed to the University of Louisville football program as a 4-star offensive line prospect out of Jefferson, Georgia, back in January of 2017, Bobby Petrino was still the head coach. Lamar Jackson was still the quarterback, had just won the Heisman Trophy and had decided to come back to school for another year.
Three games into his college career, ESPN’s College GameDay was on campus, Rick Pitino was the guest picker, and all was right with the U of L world.
Let’s just say that’s not how it has always gone since then. Chandler has been through all the tumult. The fall of Petrino. Enough drama to fill a mini-series. Losses, rebuilding, rebranding. A pandemic.
But heading into his sixth-year senior season, Chandler not only has survived, but thrived. The 6-4, 300-pound guard is a preseason All-American and the top NFL prospect on Louisville’s roster. And he’s hoping to leave U of L football on the same high note where he found it.
He sat down with me last week for a wide-ranging conversation, just back from an OL Masterminds seminar hosted by Duke Manyweather.
“Looking back from the first day I walked in here in May of 2017, just looking at the years and the records and everything going through here, you know, it's just crazy to really think about how long I have been here,” he said. “But I've enjoyed every minute of it. I've enjoyed the process. It turned me into a man being here. And I'm just looking to leave in the right way and that's winning an ACC championship here at Louisville.”
It wasn’t always a given that he would be back. Chandler certainly could’ve opted for the NFL Draft after last season. ProFootballFocus.com said he played “flawless football” in the final half of the 2021 season. It has tabbed him one of the nation’s top 10 offensive linemen coming back for this season. He’s been named a preseason All-American by both Athlon and The Sporting News.
But a couple of factors helped bring him back to Louisville. First was a health issue. He needed offseason shoulder surgery to get back to 100%, and knew that would be an issue in the draft process. He also waited to see what longtime friends and roommates Malik Cunningham and Marshon Ford were going to do. When both of them decided to come back for another season, he was in, too. He said he owes a lot to those two teammates, and some others.
“Malik Cunningham and Russ Yeast are two guys that I'll be thankful forever were in my life,” Chandler said. “They made this college journey easier and smoother, and they made every day coming here enjoyable. Russ was my roommate for a couple years. Malik was my roommate for a couple years. Those two guys have really, really changed my life in some ways. And Marshon Ford, we’re roommates now and we've gotten close over the last year and a half. And he's changed my life and his family has changed my life in ways that I can't repay them enough, just by the love that they showed me. Those three guys for sure really have made a huge impact on my time here.”
Chandler was a defensive lineman and tight end for much of his childhood, but moved to the offensive line in high school. A move back to Jefferson, Ga., a fast-growing town in rural northeast Georgia, cemented his offensive line home, and turned his attention toward the possibilities football could open up in his life.
“Senior year high school was when I really first started coming on, because I didn't go to any camps or anything,” he said. “I was I just using my film as my camp. And if nobody wanted me at the time, that was OK with me because I was focused on winning the state championship for my high school. But around then is like when I realized I had to put down the baseball glove and really focus on football. I love baseball, too, but I really started taking football really seriously and thinking this could be my future.”
Wait? Baseball? Are you telling us Dan McDonnell could’ve had a 6-4, 300-pound power hitter somewhere in the lineup?
“Oh definitely,” Chandler said. “Me and Russ used to try to walk on, but after we talked to coaches about our schedules and how tough it would be for football, we both made the decision to just stick to football. But I would’ve loved to try to walk on for the Louisville Cardinals.”
He’s done pretty well for himself sticking to football. And over this summer, he has worked on picking up a new position, taking first-team reps at center, something he expects to do throughout the season, though his primary position at guard won’t change. The versatility will help his NFL stock, and his position at the next level might well entail snapping the ball.
Louisville coach Scott Satterfield says he has the mentality to do it.
“Caleb's had a great offseason,” Satterfield said. “Man, just watching him run yesterday, I was thinking he looks amazing. He's in great shape. He's got the size, you know, 310, 315 pounds, moving great. We're actually working him at center as well as guard, he’s been starting at guard here for 3 years but we want to give him more some more versatility. Obviously we’re trying to, you know, help promote him for the next level, being able to play center and guard. He's very smart. He can make all the calls. So it's been it's been awesome having him here coming back for this last go around.”
Chandler said there are some challenges to the center spot, but he’s picking it up.
“I'm enjoying it, the more I get better at it, too,” he said. “It's difficult. I always knew how tough the center job was. They have the keys to the Bentley, they call everything. They have to make this and that adjustment while snapping the ball and blocking at the same time. I just didn't know years past how good I could be at that, but after getting practice and having a whole spring off, just getting my snaps and footwork and everything down, I'm really excited to learn and get to play the center position even more. And hopefully that happens during the season. I know I'll be taking live reps during fall camp at center. And I'm really looking forward to it.”
Chandler said he wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t believe Louisville could have a potent offense this season. He said the team felt like it was so close in so many games last season that it expects to break through in similar situations this year.
He blocked for Jackson and played alongside another NFL-caliber lineman in Mekhi Becton. Now that the accolades are coming his way, he said it’s not affecting him.
“It feels really good to see all the hard work is starting to pay off and getting the recognition,” he said. “It's different than other years. I’m really not used to it. But it's also different because like, it's an honor but everybody knows my whole mindset. And the one thing that I'm looking for this year, that's getting to the ACC Championship. And I'm so I'm very blessed and honored to get all this recognition.
“I'm not about to put any extra pressure on myself. I'm just going to do what I know -- and that's my job. And that's what I try to explain to a lot of guys, especially on the line. I'm like, ‘Yeah, let's go out there and dominate, let's go impose our will, let's go set the tone. But rule No. 1, we have to do our job first and everything else will come with it.’ So that's still the same mindset right now. Skill block for No. 3 (Cunningham), give him an open field, let him make some plays, throw the ball, toss the ball, protect him, keep them clean, keep the running backs clean. That's just still my same mentality.”
He says he thinks Louisville can have a top offense in the nation.
(con't below)
