Senior Brelan Chancellor still on top of his return game
Kick and punt returns can change the outcome of a game in the span of 20 seconds, and the Mean Green has one of the top return men in the game.
Senior wide receiver Brelan Chancellor is the only player in the nation that is in the top 10 in both kickoff returns and punt returns average this year. He is also fifth in the nation in all-purpose yards – a combination of yards gained through receiving, rushing, punt and kickoff returns.
“Brelan is a guy that doesn’t say much and is respected by all in the locker room,” McCarney said. “He wants to leave the legacy of a winning season and helping take this program to places it hasn’t been in a while and defy all the odds.”
Standing 5 feet 9 inches, Chancellor’s small stature doesn’t prevent him from making a mark on the game.
“There’re lots of examples in college football that the small players are not gone from the sport of football,” head coach Dan McCarney said. “He is a great football player. Not just a good one, but a great one.”
Growing up as a Cowboys fan, Chancellor has emulated the styles of some of his favorite players.
“I grew up watching Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders,” he said. “They were guys that really knew how to play the game the right way.”
At Copperas Cove high school, Chancellor started to become more multi-dimensional on the football field and in his junior year started playing at wide receiver during different points of the game.
“This school has four players on NFL rosters now and he is right there. He’s a great one,” Copperas Cove head coach Jack Welch said. “He is so dynamic. Anytime he could touch the ball he has the chance to score because of his vision and god-given moves on the field.”
One of those NFL players is Heisman winner and starting Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III. Chancellor was called up to varsity and played a couple of games with Griffin in his senior season.
Former head coach Todd Dodge brought in Chancellor to be a slot receiver, but he made his name known early through special teams by returning kickoffs.
As a freshman, Chancellor set a single-season school record with 923 kick return yards in nine games and 33 attempts and two touchdowns. It put him second in the nation and he would break the record again the following year.
“You have to be fearless as a kick returner because you’re running full speed at them and they’re running full speed at you,” Chancellor said. “It’s a battle of split second decisions because someone is either going to hit you or you’re going to beat them. It’s like nothing else on the field.”
Chancellor’s ability to change the outcome of games on special team is one of the most exciting things to watch while at a Mean Green football game. He’s worth the price of any admission to a football game, McCarney said.
“He has made me miss a [tackle] a number of times in practice,” senior linebacker Zach Orr said. “There is definitely a spot for him in the next level. His size is irrelevant. It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog and Brelan [Chancellor] is a perfect example at that.”
After college, Chancellor hopes to continue his football career and become the fifth player from Copperas Cove to make it to the NFL. But if his dreams of playing don’t pan out, he wants to continue his career by coaching from the sidelines.
“I just want to stay in football. There’s just something about this game,” Chancellor said. “It’s what I’ve always known and what I love. You always want to do something you love, so why not teaching others how to play the game the way it’s meant to play?”
Senior wide receiver Brelan Chancellor returned from the broken collarbone that sidelined him at the end of last season. He was named the Conference USA Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 23, 2013 for his performance against Georgia. Feature photo by Zixian Chen / Staff Photographer
There are no comments at the moment, do you want to add one?
Write a comment