Cedartown's Chubb eager to make mark at Georgia

Sunday, January 19, 2014

photo Nick Chubb rushed for 2,720 yards, 9.6 yards per carry and 39 touchdowns during his senior season at Cedartown High School.

Cedartown High School football coach Scott Hendrix has a favorite Nick Chubb story, and it does not involve any carries or yards by the talented tailback.

Instead, it deals with Chubb's relationship-building ability he displayed last May.

"I was giving out equipment to our ninth-graders," Hendrix recalled this past week. "I didn't know he had done this until later, but he goes in there with all those ninth-graders and shows them how to put their stuff up and how to put their chinstraps on and how we do things here. Sometimes your older kids try to bully kids around, but he's in there helping those kids on his own and showing those kids that he's there for them."

Chubb was always there for his teammates on the field, as the 5-foot-11, 220-pounder followed a junior season in which he ran for 2,696 yards and 38 touchdowns with a senior year that included 2,720 rushing yards and 39 scores. He rocketed to top-50 national status after his junior year and committed to Georgia last June.

So why did he take it on his own to acclimate the ninth-graders?

"I remember it being hard as a freshman," Chubb said. "I saw that they were struggling in there, so I just went in there and helped them out. They were shy and nervous, so I tried to calm them down a little bit. I told them it was going to be hard but that it wouldn't be too bad."

Chubb is expecting a challenge when he steps on the Athens campus this summer, but he is hoping his focus and preparation will lead to a smooth adjustment. He is one of two touted tailbacks headed to Georgia -- Sony Michel of Plantation, Fla., is a consensus top-20 prospect -- and he already knows where to turn for advice.

Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall headline Georgia's deep depth chart at tailback at 2014, with Gurley and Marshall having arrived in 2012 as top-50 national talents from North Carolina.

"If you're going to play at Georgia or any SEC school, you're going to have to compete for a position," Hendrix said. "That just goes along with it. Nick felt very comfortable at Georgia, and he's never been one to shy away from competition. I think Nick was looking for a place where he felt comfortable and not a place where he thought things would be easy."

Said Chubb: "The competition will make me better, and I will become a better running back when I start competing with those guys. I can learn a lot from Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall."

Chubb rushed for 6,996 yards and 101 touchdowns in his Cedartown career and has the desired combination of size, strength and speed. He hears the most about his strength, and it's why he has been compared on numerous occasions to former Cartersville High tailback Ronnie Brown, who signed with Auburn in 2000 and ripped off a 58-yard touchdown run for the San Diego Chargers two weeks ago at Cincinnati in the AFC playoffs.

Brown redshirted his freshman year at Auburn and teamed with Carnell Williams on a 13-0 team in 2004, but Chubb intends to contribute sooner rather than later.

"I was told I wasn't going to be redshirted, but if they make that decision that's their decision," Chubb said. "If I can show them that I can play, then there won't be a question about redshirting."

Godwin makes three

The Bulldogs picked up their third commitment for the 2015 class on Saturday, receiving a nonbinding pledge from Terry Godwin of Loganville, Ga., The 6-foot, 170-pounder is rated by Rivals.com as the nation's No. 5 cornerback and the No. 23 prospect overall.

Georgia's first two commitments for 2015 were receiver Christian Owens of Griffin, Ga., and safety Rico McGraw of Nashville.

Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.