Photo by: UNC Athletic Communications
GoHeels Exclusive: Chazz Surratt Q&A
September 11, 2019 | Football, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
As teammates at East Lincoln High School in Denver, N.C., Chazz Surratt and his younger brother Sage connected for 44 touchdowns from 2013-15.
But when North Carolina faces Wake Forest on Friday in Winston-Salem, Chazz, the Tar Heel quarterback-turned-linebacker, will be looking to do everything he can to keep Sage, a redshirt sophomore receiver for the Demon Deacons, out of the end zone.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Chazz talked about his relationship with his brother and what it'll be like to play against him. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: Do you talk to Sage this week or do you just not talk to him and wait until after the game?
Chazz Surratt: I talked to him Sunday. I'll probably talk to him Thursday night before the game and then I'll see him Friday.
Q: As a football player, how has he gotten a lot better at Wake Forest and what are some of the things he does well that will challenge the defense?
CS: I think he runs good routes. I think he can catch the ball really well. He's a big, strong, physical receiver, one of the more physical receivers we've played this year. He's a smart football player. He has great timing when the ball's in the air; he wins a lot of jump balls. And then, Jamie (Newman) is really good. He's going to give him good balls that he can go up and get, so we've got to play well this week.
Q: What it was like growing up and competing against each other?
CS: We always played one-on-one in different stuff, so it was very competitive. As we were younger, I was always a lot bigger, so I always usually bullied him a lot. But sophomore year, he hit a growth spurt and got really good and got a lot closer in competitiveness. We were always going back and forth, so it will be exciting to be on the field together for the first time since my senior year. We're both looking forward to it.
Q: You've been teammates, up to this point, in organized sports. Now, if he comes across the middle, you may have an opportunity to hit him. What do you think that's going to be like?
CS: I think it'll be pretty good. I'm going to try to lay him out, if I can. My teammates have been asking me if I'm going to hit him or if I'm going to go hard or not, but I'm going to try to lay him out. I think the first time I see him out there I'll probably smile just because he's going to be 10 yards away from me in the boundary. But once we get into the game, I think both of our competitiveness will take over and we'll be just trying to win and play hard.
Q: Your mother, I'm sure, is not happy to hear you continue to say you're going to lay him out?
CS: No, she'd just say, "Don't hurt my baby." That's it. But it's football, it's a physical sport. I'm not trying to hurt him or anything. I'm going to play hard and our team is going to play hard.
Q: Does that make you feel some type of way that she's telling you to not "hurt her baby?" You're her baby, too, right?
CS: I am, but I'm on defense and he's going to be trying to get away from me, not tackle me or hit me. So, yeah, it's a little different but it's whatever.
Q: Do you know if your folks are going to be in the Wake section, the Carolina section or split up, and what they're going to wear?
CS: I don't know what they're going to wear, to be honest. But my parents will probably sit in the Wake section. My other brother, he's in the Air Force right now and he's taking leave to come to the game. He said he'll sit in the Carolina section just for me, so they'll kind of be split up.
Q: How do you think having a father who kind of went through the same thing with his brothers influenced you guys?
CS: My dad talked a lot about his brothers and growing up with two brothers and a sister and what that meant. He was the youngest, so that kind of made him into what he was as an athlete and a person. He knows more of what Sage has been through because Sage has been the youngest of three brothers. So, he definitely has a great perspective on what it's like being a brother and that competitive nature in both of us.
Q: Obviously, you're focused on the big picture, the game. But bragging rights at home? I'm sure whoever wins is going to remind the other one for years.
CS: We've been talking about it for a while. Even senior year, when he committed to Wake, we knew at one point we'd play each other. But now, we'll be on the field at the same time, so it's a lot different instead of me playing offense. It's going to be a big deal. I know we're both not trying to lose. We've been talking about it for a while, so we're both excited and ready to get out there.
Q: Besides bragging rights, are there any friendly wagers or bets between you and Sage?
CS: No, not right now. I don't know what my parents got going on, but between me and Sage, no. We're just trying to go out there and play hard.
Q: When was the last time you and Sage competed against each other in organized sports?
CS: Maybe AAU one time because his team played up in a basketball tournament. I think we won, but we haven't played organized sports against each other. That was like the only time.
Q: What are your best memories of playing with him in any sport?
CS: Just knowing that I've got a guy out there who I can trust. That was the biggest thing. And we were always working together. We were always, with me and my best friends from high school and back home, we were always together. So, that brotherhood and being out there with him all the time and knowing I've got a guy in my corner regardless. Same for me to him. And then he's a really good player, so that helps a lot, too. I was able to trust him to make plays when we needed to. And then in basketball, he was a really good player. So, we kind of leaned on him there.
As teammates at East Lincoln High School in Denver, N.C., Chazz Surratt and his younger brother Sage connected for 44 touchdowns from 2013-15.
But when North Carolina faces Wake Forest on Friday in Winston-Salem, Chazz, the Tar Heel quarterback-turned-linebacker, will be looking to do everything he can to keep Sage, a redshirt sophomore receiver for the Demon Deacons, out of the end zone.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday, Chazz talked about his relationship with his brother and what it'll be like to play against him. The following is an excerpt from the interview.
Q: Do you talk to Sage this week or do you just not talk to him and wait until after the game?
Chazz Surratt: I talked to him Sunday. I'll probably talk to him Thursday night before the game and then I'll see him Friday.
Q: As a football player, how has he gotten a lot better at Wake Forest and what are some of the things he does well that will challenge the defense?
CS: I think he runs good routes. I think he can catch the ball really well. He's a big, strong, physical receiver, one of the more physical receivers we've played this year. He's a smart football player. He has great timing when the ball's in the air; he wins a lot of jump balls. And then, Jamie (Newman) is really good. He's going to give him good balls that he can go up and get, so we've got to play well this week.
Q: What it was like growing up and competing against each other?
CS: We always played one-on-one in different stuff, so it was very competitive. As we were younger, I was always a lot bigger, so I always usually bullied him a lot. But sophomore year, he hit a growth spurt and got really good and got a lot closer in competitiveness. We were always going back and forth, so it will be exciting to be on the field together for the first time since my senior year. We're both looking forward to it.
Q: You've been teammates, up to this point, in organized sports. Now, if he comes across the middle, you may have an opportunity to hit him. What do you think that's going to be like?
CS: I think it'll be pretty good. I'm going to try to lay him out, if I can. My teammates have been asking me if I'm going to hit him or if I'm going to go hard or not, but I'm going to try to lay him out. I think the first time I see him out there I'll probably smile just because he's going to be 10 yards away from me in the boundary. But once we get into the game, I think both of our competitiveness will take over and we'll be just trying to win and play hard.
Q: Your mother, I'm sure, is not happy to hear you continue to say you're going to lay him out?
CS: No, she'd just say, "Don't hurt my baby." That's it. But it's football, it's a physical sport. I'm not trying to hurt him or anything. I'm going to play hard and our team is going to play hard.
Q: Does that make you feel some type of way that she's telling you to not "hurt her baby?" You're her baby, too, right?
CS: I am, but I'm on defense and he's going to be trying to get away from me, not tackle me or hit me. So, yeah, it's a little different but it's whatever.
Q: Do you know if your folks are going to be in the Wake section, the Carolina section or split up, and what they're going to wear?
CS: I don't know what they're going to wear, to be honest. But my parents will probably sit in the Wake section. My other brother, he's in the Air Force right now and he's taking leave to come to the game. He said he'll sit in the Carolina section just for me, so they'll kind of be split up.
Q: How do you think having a father who kind of went through the same thing with his brothers influenced you guys?
CS: My dad talked a lot about his brothers and growing up with two brothers and a sister and what that meant. He was the youngest, so that kind of made him into what he was as an athlete and a person. He knows more of what Sage has been through because Sage has been the youngest of three brothers. So, he definitely has a great perspective on what it's like being a brother and that competitive nature in both of us.
Q: Obviously, you're focused on the big picture, the game. But bragging rights at home? I'm sure whoever wins is going to remind the other one for years.
CS: We've been talking about it for a while. Even senior year, when he committed to Wake, we knew at one point we'd play each other. But now, we'll be on the field at the same time, so it's a lot different instead of me playing offense. It's going to be a big deal. I know we're both not trying to lose. We've been talking about it for a while, so we're both excited and ready to get out there.
Q: Besides bragging rights, are there any friendly wagers or bets between you and Sage?
CS: No, not right now. I don't know what my parents got going on, but between me and Sage, no. We're just trying to go out there and play hard.
Q: When was the last time you and Sage competed against each other in organized sports?
CS: Maybe AAU one time because his team played up in a basketball tournament. I think we won, but we haven't played organized sports against each other. That was like the only time.
Q: What are your best memories of playing with him in any sport?
CS: Just knowing that I've got a guy out there who I can trust. That was the biggest thing. And we were always working together. We were always, with me and my best friends from high school and back home, we were always together. So, that brotherhood and being out there with him all the time and knowing I've got a guy in my corner regardless. Same for me to him. And then he's a really good player, so that helps a lot, too. I was able to trust him to make plays when we needed to. And then in basketball, he was a really good player. So, we kind of leaned on him there.
Players Mentioned
Linebacker
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