CHAPEL HILL – Ty Chandler arrived at North Carolina last January after playing four seasons at Tennessee, but Tuesday afternoon was the first time he was made available to the media for an interview.
Chandler graduated from UT in December and found UNC not long after hitting the transfer portal. With the NCAA not counting last season against any athletes’ eligibility, Chandler could play one more season and has found at home in Chapel Hill.
He brings needed experience to UNC’s running back room, as he is fifth in Tennessee history in all-purpose yards with 3,245, which includes 2,046 rushing yard sin his career for the Volunteers. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry, had 465 receiving yards on 10.1 yards per catch, and added 780 yards in kickoff returns to his career totals in Knoxville. He averaged 22.3 yards per return at UT.
In all, Chandler has scored 17 TDs during his career; 13 by rush, three by reception, and one by kickoff return.
A native of Nashville, TN, where he played at Montgomery Bell Academy, the 6-foot, 210-pounder spent nearly 14 minutes fielding questions Tuesday. Below is the video of his entire Q&A session as well as a full transcript of what Chandler had to say:
Q: Can you take us through the process of leaving Tennessee and coming to North Carolina?
CHANDLER: “When I entered the transfer portal, I started reaching out to coaches, and I finally got in contact with (UNC) Coach (Mack) Brown and he offered me an opportunity to come here to North Carolina. I thought it was a great opportunity. I had watched them play against Texas A&M and saw them out there competing and having fun and I’m excited to be here.
“I get here and that’s exactly what they’re doing, competing and having fun and getting better.”
Q: Was the success Michael Carter and Javonte Williams had a driving factor in choosing UNC?
CHANDLER: “No doubt. I saw Javonte and Mike, two well respected guys, great players, I saw their production here and that was something I wanted to be a part of. I come in here and work every day to go get that and be productive.”
Q: What kind of pressure do you feel like you’re under having to fill in for guys like Javonte Williams and Michael Carter with the spotlight being on you to be that guy?
CHANDLER: “It’s not necessarily pressure. It’s something you come in and you work every day for, and that’s what I’m doing. I’m coming into the running back room and I’m being pushed by great guys every day. This is what we do every day. So I don’t feel a sense of pressure, I’m coming out here to get better.
“I’ve got guys in the running back room pushing me to get better in British Brooks and Josh Henderson and all those guys, Caleb Hood, D.J. Jones, they’re all coming in and pushing me to get better every day, helping me out.
“But with all due respect to Mike and Javonte, I’m just coming in to be Ty Chandler and do what I can do. Be productive in this offense and learn as much as I can.”
Q: Carter and Williams were very versatile last year, what is going to be your number one attribute that you bring to this roster?
CHANDLER: “That’s what I’m going to try to do as well, be versatile. Catching balls out of the backfield, running inside the tackle, outside, whatever coach needs me to do. Coach (Phil) Longo’s a great offensive mind, (running back) Coach (Larry) Porter has been helping me get right with everything learning more of the offense and getting that all down and helping me with certain things – read keys, foot work. Whatever it is, he’s been pushing me every day to get better at it.”
Q: Emery Simmons said earlier you’re a quiet guy with your teammates, is that just you being in a new place, or have you always been that way?
CHANDLER: “I’ve always been kind of a quiet guy. I like to listen. I like to learn things, and when you’re talking you can’t listen. That’s what I like to do, I like to pay attention, listen and learn things (and) pick up on stuff. But I’m starting to come out of my shell and communicate with these guys and loosen up around them. It’s been fun.”
Q: How challenging is it to be the voice in that room being by far the most experienced and accomplished player in the group, so that voice is needed?
CHANDLER: “It’s not hard at all. Those guys, they come to work every day. They’ll tell me, ‘Hey Ty, let’s pick it up.’ We’re on each other, we’re pushing to get each other better. And that’s what it’s all about. It’s special having those guys in there. They’ve helped me along the way making the transition and learning the offense and picking up on little things and being able to go out there and execute. I’m stepping out of my shell and it’s forcing me to do that – I’m forcing it upon myself to be more vocal and just be a good leader for this team.”
Q: Today was the first day of full contact, so I imagine you guys did inside run at some point, how did that go, how did the offensive line in front of you do, and what did you think of the growing defensive line?
CHANDLER: “Overall, a great day on inside run. The o-line doing great, getting great movement. And the d-line’s doing the same thing. Those guys are two forces. They come every day to work, I will say that. And the o-line’s been doing a great job – big shout-out to those guys up front. D-line as well, we’ve got ballplayers on both sides and they come to work every day.”
Q: What has it been like getting to know Sam Howell on and off the field and how you can complement what he does on the field?
CHANDLER: “Sam’s a great guy. As soon as I got here, we were back-and-forth in the meeting room, and he was just trying to help me learn Chapel Hill and get the vibe. He did a great job of welcoming me in and it’s been great to work with him. He’s got a great offensive mind, very smart young man, a man of God. I love being able to sit back there and work with him and be there for him, even in protection and catching balls out of the backfield. It’s been overall a great experience. Great quarterback. I’m looking forward to working with him more.”
Q: How valuable was it for you when you got here to have such an experience guy who could organize and get player-led practices going so you could learn the plays and the offense?
CHANDLER: “Very valuable. Sam does a great job of getting us all together here in the indoor and going to work. He’ll text us and, ‘Come to the indoor, we’re about to put this work in.’ And I love that about Sam and I love being out here with all these guys and being able to work.”
Q: When you were looking for a new school, what were the things you looked for the next school to have?
CHANDLER: “Surround myself around a great team, a team that I fit into, and somewhere I can show my versatility and a system I could be productive in. That really hit home for me. And I just wanted to come in here and be the best version of Ty Chandler and play the ball I knew I could play. So, that’s what I’m focused on and that’s what I’ve gotten here at North Carolina. Great coaches, great offensive minds, and Coach Porter pushing me every day.”
Q: What has been the biggest hurdle in your transition to UNC?
CHANDLER: “Man, it’s been great here. I won’t say there’s been any challenges. The whole staff has been great, from the strength staff to the coaching staff to everybody helping in this program. It’s all around been a great experience and I’m excited for it. I’m ready to put it all on the line for these guys because they’ve given me the opportunity.”
Q: Mack has noted several times about your experiences playing in the SEC against some of the top teams in the nation and bringing that here and automatically being the veteran leader. How have you shared your experiences playing in the SEC with the young backs behind you since they really haven’t played much?
CHANDLER: “When it all comes down to it, football is football. I just try to give them a little wisdom. I’ve played the game for a while, so just little things on the field, whether it’s the cap safety, or anything like that. Just being able to pick up on certain things, tell if the pressure’s coming or if it’s not. Anything I can do to help these boys I’ll do it. Even in life, man, if somebody wants to talk to me about life – I’ve been through a lot in my life already – so anything like that I’ll try to help in anyway I can.”
Q: What have you seen from the other running backs and who is currently getting the most reps behind you?
CHANDLER: “All those guys are doing great. From Caleb do D.J. to British, Josh, all of them I have to give a big shout out to all of them. Like I said, coming in and working every day, man. They’re all coming out here to work, they’re all pushing each other to get better. In pass protection whether it’s read-keys, inside zone, outside zone, whatever it is, they’re coming to put it to work every day. And that’s something I respect about that room, and they’re pushing me to get better.”
Q: What stands out about this offense to you?
CHANDLER: “The versatility. How they approach things using different positions in different ways is something I haven’t seen from the SEC. It’s amazing, he’s got a great offensive mind and a great quarterback who knows the offense so well. Using guys in different positions. It’s (been) a great experience and I love picking up that playbook and just learning.”
Q: When you think about this coming season, how do you envision it playing out, where does your mind go when you start thinking about these games and what it’s all going to look like?
CHANDLER: “I envision this team coming together and having success. We’ve got great players on both sides of the ball. J’Q (Ja’Qurious Conley), Don (Chapman), Sam, Tomari (Fox), any of those guys, I envision this team coming together and having a lot of success. We have great players on both sides of the ball and they’re coming in here competing every day and pushing each other to get better. It’s iron sharpening iron out here and is a lot of fun.”
Q: Any particular reason you went with number 19? You wore a single digit at Tennessee, any meaning behind that?
CHANDLER: “Just the oddball. I wore 44 in high school. I had to switch it up a little bit.”
Q: Can you give us a breakdown of the way you see your game, what you do best and what you’re proudest of and what you’re still working on to improve?
CHANDLER: “A lot of people like to call me a fast guy, so I guess I’m a fast guy. I love catching the ball out of the backfield and making people miss and lowering the shoulder. I’m still working on little things like footwork, placement of my hands in pass protection, and just dominate the game. Execute on every level and be productive. And that’s what I’m most excited about, going out there and executing.”
