University of North Carolina Athletics
Photo by: Andy Mead
GoHeels Exclusive: Chazz Surratt Q&A
August 29, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Almost a year removed from sustaining a season-ending injury while attempting a tackle against Miami, Chazz Surratt will play in his first game since then when North Carolina faces South Carolina on Saturday in Charlotte.
It'll also be his first game at his new position.
After switching from quarterback to linebacker during the offseason, Surratt figures to play a significant amount of snaps against the Gamecocks. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the redshirt junior discussed how he's preparing for that and how he's adjusted to playing linebacker, among other topics. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: Coach (Jay) Bateman told us (Monday) that he's not concerned about you at all and he fully trusts you. At what point during camp do you think you got to the point where he was no longer concerned about the guy switching over from quarterback to linebacker?
Chazz Surratt: I think maybe midway through. I kind of got in the flow and really locked in on the keys and my assignments. I was just able to play fast and play confident. I'm still learning, I'm still new to the position, so I can still get better each day. But definitely, I think midway through camp and continuing into this last week, going over South Carolina stuff, I think that's when it clicked for me. I'm looking forward to Saturday.
Q: Did you know that or did he tell you that you'd gotten to that point?
CS: He says little things during practice. He's focused on the whole defense, so I don't talk to him much during practice. But he'll come up to me and say I had a good day or I did something good. He's very positive, and I'm thankful to have him as a D-coordinator.
Q: Are the nerves different as you head into this season opener as a linebacker?
CS: I don't really have any nerves. I'm just really excited to go out and play. I missed most of last season, so I'm just really excited to be on the defense with some of my best friends and be able to play.
Q: What have you learned the most about yourself during this switch?
CS: It was tough, but just relying on my family a lot, being able to hold them to my core. Some of my best friends on the team have always kept me positive. So, I would say that would be the biggest thing, just staying true to yourself and not really thinking about the outside stuff, but trying to go day by day and just work and get better.
Q: What's been the challenge, physically?
CS: I would say the first day we ever put pads on was probably the biggest challenge, just the physicality being different and hitting all the time. I didn't used to get hit in practice, so definitely getting adjusted to that. But after a couple of days being in pads, I got used to it. So, I think that would be the biggest difference between quarterback and linebacker, just the mentality you've got to bring every day in practice is way different.
Q: What has this past year been like?
CS: It's been tough, but really, I've just tried to work every day. That's it. That's all you can do is try to work and get better every day, have confidence in yourself to go out and play the game you love and be with the guys I've been here with for so long. That's the main thing I keep focusing on. I can't think about the long run or the short term or my past. I've just got to worry about the here and now. That's all we can do.
Q: Is there something rewarding about being here? Some guys would have taken what happened last year and said, "Well, I'm going to transfer and go somewhere else."
CS: Yeah, I definitely could've gone that route, but I wanted to stay here in North Carolina. I'm from North Carolina, so I didn't really want to leave or anything like that. I knew I have a lot of athleticism so I could do other things on the football field, too, and help this team win. That's all I'm really looking forward to.
Q: When was the last time you threw the ball?
CS: I don't know. My shoulders have been hurting because I play linebacker now. So, they're a little tight. But I still throw sometimes after practice with the quarterbacks just because that's what I love to do. I probably threw today in practice, just during warmups, but nothing like practice or anything like that.
Q: Do you miss playing quarterback?
CS: Yes. I would say so just because that's what I've been doing. That's all I've known to do. It's definitely different. I'm definitely very optimistic for my situation now, just being able to play a role in the defense and try to help our guys win. The coaches have given me confidence to go out there and perform and do well. I'm just really excited and looking forward to it.
Q: What do you want out of these next two seasons?
CS: I haven't really though about the future. I'm just trying to take it day by day, really. I'm just trying to go out there and be the best I can for my teammates and for the coaches who have put me in the position that I'm in and just keep working. I'm just trying to stay focused on the day-to-day stuff. Getting my body and my mind ready to play for each week is just the biggest thing. You can't really look too far ahead because you never know what's going to happen in this game. That's just my philosophy.
Q: Because you have been hit in practice this preseason, do you feel more dinged up going into the year? Or do you feel more game ready?
CS: I feel game ready. I've got my body ready to play. Thanks to Coach (Brian) Hess, they've done a great job strength and conditioning-wise. So, I feel ready to go.
Q: How much tackling is done during camp?
CS: We do drills every day and then we do inside run, which is basically full contact. Guys do go to the ground a lot, but Mack Brown tried to emphasize keeping people up just for health reasons. And then usually the scrimmages are full contact, but this year they weren't just because Mack wanted to keep everybody safe going into the first game.
Almost a year removed from sustaining a season-ending injury while attempting a tackle against Miami, Chazz Surratt will play in his first game since then when North Carolina faces South Carolina on Saturday in Charlotte.
It'll also be his first game at his new position.
After switching from quarterback to linebacker during the offseason, Surratt figures to play a significant amount of snaps against the Gamecocks. Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, the redshirt junior discussed how he's preparing for that and how he's adjusted to playing linebacker, among other topics. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: Coach (Jay) Bateman told us (Monday) that he's not concerned about you at all and he fully trusts you. At what point during camp do you think you got to the point where he was no longer concerned about the guy switching over from quarterback to linebacker?
Chazz Surratt: I think maybe midway through. I kind of got in the flow and really locked in on the keys and my assignments. I was just able to play fast and play confident. I'm still learning, I'm still new to the position, so I can still get better each day. But definitely, I think midway through camp and continuing into this last week, going over South Carolina stuff, I think that's when it clicked for me. I'm looking forward to Saturday.
Q: Did you know that or did he tell you that you'd gotten to that point?
CS: He says little things during practice. He's focused on the whole defense, so I don't talk to him much during practice. But he'll come up to me and say I had a good day or I did something good. He's very positive, and I'm thankful to have him as a D-coordinator.
Q: Are the nerves different as you head into this season opener as a linebacker?
CS: I don't really have any nerves. I'm just really excited to go out and play. I missed most of last season, so I'm just really excited to be on the defense with some of my best friends and be able to play.
Q: What have you learned the most about yourself during this switch?
CS: It was tough, but just relying on my family a lot, being able to hold them to my core. Some of my best friends on the team have always kept me positive. So, I would say that would be the biggest thing, just staying true to yourself and not really thinking about the outside stuff, but trying to go day by day and just work and get better.
Q: What's been the challenge, physically?
CS: I would say the first day we ever put pads on was probably the biggest challenge, just the physicality being different and hitting all the time. I didn't used to get hit in practice, so definitely getting adjusted to that. But after a couple of days being in pads, I got used to it. So, I think that would be the biggest difference between quarterback and linebacker, just the mentality you've got to bring every day in practice is way different.
Q: What has this past year been like?
CS: It's been tough, but really, I've just tried to work every day. That's it. That's all you can do is try to work and get better every day, have confidence in yourself to go out and play the game you love and be with the guys I've been here with for so long. That's the main thing I keep focusing on. I can't think about the long run or the short term or my past. I've just got to worry about the here and now. That's all we can do.
Q: Is there something rewarding about being here? Some guys would have taken what happened last year and said, "Well, I'm going to transfer and go somewhere else."
CS: Yeah, I definitely could've gone that route, but I wanted to stay here in North Carolina. I'm from North Carolina, so I didn't really want to leave or anything like that. I knew I have a lot of athleticism so I could do other things on the football field, too, and help this team win. That's all I'm really looking forward to.
Q: When was the last time you threw the ball?
CS: I don't know. My shoulders have been hurting because I play linebacker now. So, they're a little tight. But I still throw sometimes after practice with the quarterbacks just because that's what I love to do. I probably threw today in practice, just during warmups, but nothing like practice or anything like that.
Q: Do you miss playing quarterback?
CS: Yes. I would say so just because that's what I've been doing. That's all I've known to do. It's definitely different. I'm definitely very optimistic for my situation now, just being able to play a role in the defense and try to help our guys win. The coaches have given me confidence to go out there and perform and do well. I'm just really excited and looking forward to it.
Q: What do you want out of these next two seasons?
CS: I haven't really though about the future. I'm just trying to take it day by day, really. I'm just trying to go out there and be the best I can for my teammates and for the coaches who have put me in the position that I'm in and just keep working. I'm just trying to stay focused on the day-to-day stuff. Getting my body and my mind ready to play for each week is just the biggest thing. You can't really look too far ahead because you never know what's going to happen in this game. That's just my philosophy.
Q: Because you have been hit in practice this preseason, do you feel more dinged up going into the year? Or do you feel more game ready?
CS: I feel game ready. I've got my body ready to play. Thanks to Coach (Brian) Hess, they've done a great job strength and conditioning-wise. So, I feel ready to go.
Q: How much tackling is done during camp?
CS: We do drills every day and then we do inside run, which is basically full contact. Guys do go to the ground a lot, but Mack Brown tried to emphasize keeping people up just for health reasons. And then usually the scrimmages are full contact, but this year they weren't just because Mack wanted to keep everybody safe going into the first game.
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