University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Chaz Chambliss
September 07, 2023 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Chaz Chambliss spent part of his offseason doing some mixed martial arts training. As one of Georgia's outside linebackers, the training can help him on the field. The junior from Carrollton, Ga., is serious about his MMA training and said he will consider climbing into the octagon once his football days are done.
Last season, the 6-foot-2 and 250-pound Chambliss saw a lot of action as a backup linebacker and finished with 16 tackles, two sacks and eight quarterback hurries. Last Saturday, in the Bulldogs' season opener against UT Martin, he made his first career start.
During a recent Quick Chat, Chambliss talked about not dwelling on past successes, adjusting to practices at Georgia, what he'd like to be doing in 10 years, and more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: As you head into this season having won two straight national championships, do you ever think about that fact? Or can you not allow yourself to think about it?
Chambliss: You know, it's a little different. Freshman year, I was on special teams — played a little but not a lot, so I wasn't a main contributor to the team. Last year, it meant a lot more because I played a lot more and because I played a role on defense.
Going into this third year, I'm not really thinking about what we've done in the past. I'm thinking about completing the goal week-by-week, and not really looking toward the future.
Frierson: That sounds easy to say but hard to do.
Chambliss: I think it makes it easier when you think about it going day-by-day because in the grand scheme of things, we're going to practicing for 25 weeks in a row. If you think: I have to do this for the same practice 25 weeks in a row, it starts to kind of get in your mind. But if you take it one-by-one, you can take advantage of every single practice.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on this year's team? Has a leader emerged already?
Chambliss: That's hard. It could be between (Xavier) Truss, (Aliou) Bah, or Smael (Mondon). I think they're all just naturally funny. That's what makes them so funny, that it's just natural.
Frierson: Do you enjoy practice more now than you did when you first got here? Or do you see it in a different light?
Chambliss: I think I see it in a different way. As a freshman, you're like, I've got to get this play right. I've got to do it by the book, I've got to do it exactly how they want me to do it. As a person that's played in this defense for three years, it's like, All right, how can I use this defense to my advantage. What loopholes can I find to make plays?
Frierson: Going back to high school, when did you know you had what it takes to play at this level?
Chambliss: I got offers really early my freshman spring. For myself, I think it took my sophomore year to realize that I've earned this, I've earned these offers, and that I can actually play at the next level.
I had guys on the team that had big offers at the time — we had guys that went to North Carolina, Clemson, N.C. State — and I knew I was competing with those guys every single day. That helped me know that I could compete with them at the next level.
Frierson: Who was you favorite player when you were younger? Did you have someone you tried to play like?
Chambliss: I was in and out in high school on whether I wanted to play inside linebacker or outside linebacker, so I would look at Devin White for inside 'backer, but Clay Matthews has always been my favorite player. He was able to play everything at the next level.
Frierson: In a perfect world, what are you doing in 10 years?
Chambliss: In 10 years, in a perfect world, I'm retired from the NFL, living on a beach, surfing in the morning and doing MMA in the afternoons.
Frierson: Doing MMA professionally or just as a workout?
Chambliss: We'll see at that point.
Frierson: Is MMA part of your offseason training?
Chambliss: I go to a gym and do it twice or three times a week.
Frierson: I would image that no matter how great an athlete you are, just starting out in that can be really humbling.
Chambliss: You kind of know some stuff because of football, things like contact balance and you can take a hit, stuff like that, but the technique and the quickness in that sport kind of models football, but it's on another level.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
