The 'quiet' Ty Chandler already making plenty of preseason noise for Vols
Few players on Tennessee's roster have generated more preseason buzz than freshman tailback Ty Chandler, but the humble yet hulking running back is a little too reserved for some of his teammates — especially his senior backfield mate.
In a nod to former Tennessee tailback Alvin Kamara and his buddies Migos, some on the Vols want Chandler to pipe it up.
“That boy good,” junior running back John Kelly said, “but I be telling him, If you don’t turn that volume up! Man, he too quiet!”
Talking simply isn’t Chandler’s style, but the consensus blue-chip tailback from Montgomery Bell Academy has certainly made plenty of noise already on the field during Tennessee's training camp, quickly impressing teammates and coaches with dynamic ability and subtle confidence.
After picking Tennessee over Ole Miss and others nearly a year ago to the day, the U.S. Army All-American has already positioned himself for a real role this fall.
“He’s a natural runner. Smooth and plays with great pad level,” Tennessee’s running backs coach Robert Gillespie said.
“He’s a kid that came in and just had some natural things that surprised us as a staff, so it’s just finding a small package for him to be able to get involved early in the game without putting too much on him. He’s very tough from a mental standpoint. A physical runner. He’s got a lot of good football head of him.”
The Nashville native was a four-year starter at MBA, rushing for more than 2,200 yards and 40 total touchdowns as a senior in 2016. He’s battling Carlin Fils-Aime and two other freshmen for Tennessee’s backup job, and has come in as advertised after being ranked as one of the top tailback recruits in the country a year ago.
“He’s a beast,” Kelly told VolQuest. “He’s really aggressive. He’s really coachable. Great kid, came from a great program. He’s technically sound. He just has a lot of raw talent.”
While the 5-foot-11, 195-pound freshman is definitely still learning what it takes to be a complete college tailback, Gillespie is impressed with Chandler's playbook retention and pass protection prowess as a freshman. The fact that Chandler is a quiet kid who’d be happy just riding 4-wheelers and horses certainly surprised him a bit, but Gillespie likes Chandler’s overall “presence.”
“Through the recruiting process, I thought he was a little quiet. He didn’t really care much about recruiting, so I didn’t really get to know his personality a lot,” Tennessee’s running backs coach explained.
“But I think the toughness he’s shown so far has been the biggest thing. He has a quiet presence. When he walks in the room, you can tell Ty is in the room. His teammates respect him.
"The offensive line likes the fact he plays with a lot of passion. He plays with a lot of toughness, so I think that’s been the biggest thing that’s surprised me. He’s a quiet kid, but it’s a quiet toughness that he’s really showing.”
Chandler is slated to receive his first collegiate carry sometime against Georgia Tech on Sept. 4, and one of Tennessee’s defensive players is excited for someone else to try and have to tackle him.
“He’s really done a great job this camp. I’m really proud of him. We talked a lot during his recruiting process. For him, to just come in and have that mindset and workman mentality," junior linebacker Darrin Kirkland said.
“He’s fast. He’s very agile. You don’t really see that in a lot of young running backs when they first come in. He’s done a really great job these first few weeks. He’s a great change of pace back. I know coach G is really excited to have him in the room.”