After rewriting NCHSAA record book as QB, Chazz Surratt turning the page to begin another story at LB

It’s a safe bet that when Chazz Surratt takes the field for North Carolina at linebacker, he’ll be the only player at his position who holds his state’s high school record for touchdowns.

Also a fair bet that he’s the only linebacker who threw for more than 11,000 yards and has his name in that very same record book 17 different times for his accomplishments over his career at East Lincoln High School.

But at this point, those accomplishments are just that: history.

Ancient history, as far as Surratt is concerned, as he begins his new journey as a linebacker for the Tar Heels and will likely see significant playing time on Saturday against South Carolina due to Dominique Ross serving a suspension for one half.

It’s a giant leap for a player that was just getting his feet under him a few months ago.

“I don’t want to say he was crawling; he was probably like a toddler, kind of using the couch to walk,” defensive coordinator Jay Bateman said. “Now, I’m really confident that he’s going to play really well. That’s not a concern of mine.”

The switch from quarterback, where Surratt became a high school legend before spending two injury-riddled seasons at Carolina wasn’t necessarily an easy one.

After showing promise as a passer and runner as a freshman in 2017, Surratt played in just one game last season, completing 4 of 10 attempts with three interceptions before a wrist injury ended his season, and perhaps, his career at quarterback.

Rather than following what has become nearly standard procedure for quarterbacks, Surratt didn’t seek another opportunity elsewhere and instead asked the Carolina coaches how he could help the team. Despite being 6-3, 230 pounds, Mack Brown says Surratt can run the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds.

“He’s been a freak since high school … he was like a young king before he got here, a lot of hype, lot of quarterback hype,” running back Michael Carter said before finishing with his trademark deadpan humor. “How athletic he was, was ridiculous. When I saw him when I got here, I was like, ‘This dude might be faster than me,’ but he’s not.”

That type of size and athleticism gave Carolina’s coaches several options before settling on linebacker for Surratt — a position he hasn’t played since his freshman year of high school.

Defensive tackle Aaron Crawford had his reservations about Surratt going from wearing a red jersey in practice to working in the thick of the action.

“I knew he was an athletic kid … I knew the sideline to sideline aspect probably wasn’t going to be a problem for him,” Crawford said, “but moving from quarterback to where you’re not taking any hits during practice to … probably the most physical position on the field, to be completely honest, I wasn’t completely sure.”

Admittedly, the consistent physicality was the toughest aspect of the transition for Surratt.

“After a couple of days of being in pads, I got used to it,” he said. “I think that would be the biggest difference between quarterback and linebacker; the mentality you’ve got to bring in practice is way different.”

Despite those differences, it’s been clear that Surratt’s experience has actually helped quicken the transition at linebacker.

“I think the thing that has helped Chazz is believe it or not, coming from quarterback,” Bateman said. “I think at quarterback you have to have kind of a picture of what the whole thing looks like.”

Players change positions all the time in college football, but Bateman said there are some pretty distinct differences in Surratt’s switch versus that of a running back who is used to reading two gaps and running to daylight.

“There’s a lot that goes into the offense and being able to see little things from a formation-wise, schematic-wise and (tendencies) from the quarterback would give me a little bit of an edge,” Surratt said.

From infant to toddler, Surratt began taking his baby steps at the position midway through training camp, beginning to play with the instincts and confidence of a guy who was no longer a quarterback-turned-linebacker.

“Tommy Thigpen has done an amazing job with Chazz Surratt to get him in the right places,” Brown said. “I think he’ll be a really good linebacker for us before he leaves.”

Surratt’s now a linebacker. He hangs out with other linebackers and comes to practice ready to deliver — and take — blows.

As he returns to the area where he rewrote the NCHSAA’s record books as a quarterback, he’s turning the page to begin another story.

“It’s been tough but I’ve just tried to work every day; that’s all you can do,” Surratt said. “Just try to work and get better every day, have confidence to go out and play the game you love and be with the guys I’ve been with so long.

“I can’t think about the long run or the short-term or the past; I’ve just got to worry about the here and now.”

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