Andrew Chatfield Talks Recruiting After Opening Regional

Feb 28, 2017

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Over 300 players entered the Miami Dolphins practice facility on Sunday for the Opening Miami Regional, but only 12 players left with an invitation to Oregon this summer.

One of those 12 players was American Heritage defensive end Andrew Chatfield, who shredded offensive lineman throughout the day.

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Chatfield’s recruiting has ramping up after a big junior year, and is being heavily recruited by big time programs around the nation.

“I’ve visited Miami, Florida State, Florida, and Maryland,” Chatfield said.

Chatfield plans on visiting more schools, and one school that he hasn’t visited leads the way in his recruitment.

“LSU,” Chatfield said. “They’ve been at me for a little while and I’m about to go visit them in a little bit so it’s gonna be fun.”

Chatfield says LSU is coming after him harder than any other school, and are among his tightest relationships on the recruiting trail.

“The LSU coach,” Chatfield said. “He is the DB coach. I think he is the recruiter for me down here, Coach Raymond. I have a great relationship with him, also Ohio State’s coach Zach Smith, and the Alabama coaches.”

As for Miami, Chatfield visited on junior day two weeks ago, and continued to develop a relationship with his former high school coach Mike Rumph.

“It was cool just to see my former head coach, Coach Rumph,” Chatfield said. “It was just really cool. They have a nice vibe and talking to the coaches was great, it feels like they got it figured out over there.”

And while on the visit Miami’s coaches pitched Chatfield on the idea of bringing the ‘Canes back.

“They were just telling me how the program is,” Chatfield said. “And how they were ruling and how the program is coming back. I’m just proud of that, just to see my home [school] coming up like that.”

Chatfield’s teammate on the defensive line, Nesta Silvera, is currently committed to Miami and is recruiting Chatfield himself.

“He’s telling me everything,” Chatfield said. “He’s always telling me about the U, 305, so we’ll see.”

Chatfield does not currently field an offer from Miami, but is hoping to get one soon.

“I’m hoping,” Chatfield said. “But we’re gonna see what happens. I really don’t know [if it’s coming], but if it comes I’ll be blessed that it comes.”

Chatfield says he will name a top 3 in the summer, but said a Miami offer would be signifiant.

“That would be huge,” Chatfield said. “Growing up in the backfield I always see, always watched them play on the TV and stuff and I was like, why not play for your home? Why not bring the 305 back?”

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S
skyman

Aug 31, 2021

TheMatador said:
Funny....I only saw a bit of the two in some bigger games that I was able to see on a stream or maybe one of the ESPN channels...so I didn't see a lot. And I don't consider myself a particularly great judge of talent or x's and o's. I knew Yearby started ahead of Cook. I watched both, but there was something I saw in Cook that I just didn't see in Yearby.

Cook was just draw-dropping to me...it was a hold-your-breath moment every time he got the ball. He would take the ball deep in the backfield and wait for a hole to open...once there was that lane, he was gone. He was a threat anytime and every time he got the ball. I saw the same thing in college.

I would've taken Cook over Yearby any day of the week.

Just my reaction. Like I said, I didn't see as much of Central as you guys probably did. I just know my reaction...and how Cook scared me whenever we played FSU.

This is how I felt about that. I remember hearing hype on Yearby and the incredible pace he was on during their soph year, think he was on pace to break gore record! Went to the Colombus game and they barely put cook in but when he got in, he blew the game open with gamebreaking plays and then would go back to standing on sidelines. I remember coming back to shadow board like yea #22 is cool but whoever #23 is is the real deal, THATS the dude right there, and couldnt understand how central couldnt get him on the field.

He threatened to transfer, Then next season they played him everywhere defense, special team, and split carries. That boy was something in high school, all the discussion is on this board but I think too many were just jaded and homer hoping that if they wished Yearby to be better it would happen, lmaoo.. It was never close.. Yearby was nice but Cook was that dude man, on some Gore/hester type combo

MedleyCane

Aug 31, 2021

TheMatador said:
Miami wanted Keith Carter badly. He went to FSU, and as I recall, he did virtually nothing. My FSU friend told me the coaches felt he was too stiff.

Now, think about how Jimmy Johnson approached guys similar to Carter. (And BTW, I think it was more mid-80's, because I think Carter was being recruited by JJ, not Schnelly). Jimmy, who was very very astute about such things, probably saw that drawback in Carter and envisioned him as a future 4-3 DE, much as he did with Darren Krein. And probably other DE's. (I think Danny Stubbs was already on the team when JJ came in, perhaps as a LB, but he ended up with his hand on the ground. There was another LB, a transfer who played for us in '84 and '85, and I think his last year, '85', he was also a DE.)

I think Keith Carter would've been a future DE for Johnson. Just speculation.

ADDENDUM: I just checked, and Keith Carter was definitely in the 1985 recruiting class, so he would have been a target for JJ's first recruiting class. (The 1984 class was recruited by Schnelly before he left). Although I have no information--I'm just speculating--JJ could easily have seen Carter as a future DE.

I don't remember that much about the era when it comes to FSU, but Carter was a highly recruited guy who didn't do much at FSU.

Here's an article on the 1985 FSU recruiting class. They did bring in some studs. A better class than we had in '85.

https://www.tallahassee.com/story/s...-helped-change-fsu-football-history/31006681/

Were Keith Carter and Derrick Thomas at South Miami at the same time? I don't even know if we recruited Derrick Thomas...something makes me think we didn't.

UM was definitely recruiting Carter and I think Thomas as well. The problem UM had was that Schnellenberger holdover coach was recruiting these guys. I believe it was Bill Trout who was pretty good recruiter in his day. As we all know, JJ did not get along with the holdovers on defensive side of ball, and after 1984 season he fired them, and that is when he lost contact with several local kids, including the South Miami HS LBers. They were definitely class of 85 because my brother was '84 and played against them his senior year. Two years earlier South Miami HS also had Fred Jones, who played for FSU. His son Marvin also played for FSU.

L A M P

Aug 31, 2021

RattlerCane305 said:
He can definitely be as good as Toolbox. Even better IMO...

In that case, can he be ready for Bama? Lol

RattlerCane305

Aug 31, 2021

L A M P said:
In that case, can he be ready for Bama? Lol

Tbh, I wish he could. I hope McCloud has finally found a home at DE but I'd rather replace him with Drew in the rotation...

TheMatador

Aug 31, 2021

MedleyCane said:
UM was definitely recruiting Carter and I think Thomas as well. The problem UM had was that Schnellenberger holdover coach was recruiting these guys. I believe it was Bill Trout who was pretty good recruiter in his day. As we all know, JJ did not get along with the holdovers on defensive side of ball, and after 1984 season he fired them, and that is when he lost contact with several local kids, including the South Miami HS LBers. They were definitely class of 85 because my brother was '84 and played against them his senior year. Two years earlier South Miami HS also had Fred Jones, who played for FSU. His son Marvin also played for FSU.

Bill Trout was a holdover, a former UM player, and was DC for the '84 season. To say that their was disagreement philosophically, and perhaps personally, between JJ and Trout is an understatement. Trout continued to use Tom Olivadotti's read-and-react defense, and I think JJ must have been fuming. During a game against Purdue, when I think we were having trouble getting to Jim Everitt, at halftime, JJ put Victor Morris, a LB, at end, and told him to not do anything other than rush the passer. It was a desperation move to save the game, which we won. It was a battlefield switch from the old defense to JJ's attacking 3-4. At least, that's the way I remember it.

We had embarrassment after embarrassment later in the '84 season. The worst was the incredible comeback by Maryland to beat us. Reportedly, after he thought we had the game put away, our DC Bill Trout left the pressbox and was incommunicado during the last part of the Maryland comeback. I think he resigned after that game.

It was no wonder we had such a bad end to the season: we had a combination of Schnellenberger and Johnson coaches on the staff, with antagonistic philosophies on defense. The defensive coaches had severe internal disagreements. The offensive staff that held over from Schnelly were OK--Gary Stevens, Hubbard Alexander, Joe Brodsky.

I remember when UCLA beat us in the Fiesta Bowl they're coaches were shocked that we didn't bring the heat on defense. They said they expected, and prepared for, a Johnson-style blitzkrieg, of the type he employed at Oklahoma State, but were very surprised when we just sat back.

Johnson cured all of this when he brought in his old friend Dave Wannstadt from USC to be his DC. The only other coach I remember who also left after a year with Johnson was Christ Vagotis, who was OL coach. Johnson brought in Tony Wise to be his OL coach starting in '85. I think Vagotis rejoined Schnellenberger at Louisville, as did maybe Ray Ganong, who was strength coach. I remember also that there was some guy in the sports info department who was so loyal to Schnelly who followed him to Louisville, too.

I think some of the old Schnellenberger people had so little regard for Johnson, thought he was some kind of country boy hick that they had contempt for him. I remember how Tom Olivadotti actually dissed him at the first meeting of the coaching staff. He didn't stay on as DC, so he was replaced I believe from someone else on staff, Trout.

The Schnellenberger coaches who became loyal to JJ did very well. Most went to Dallas. These included Brodsky and Alexander. Stevens did not go to Dallas. He thought he would succeed Johnson, but they went outside to Erickson. Don Soldinger who had been hired from Southridge after the '83 season, I believe coached under Schnelly for the '84 spring practice, stayed on with Johnson as a loyal member of the staff.

The '84 recruiting class was signed by Schnelly. I doubt that Bill Trout would have been recruiting Keith Carter the last few months, because he quit or was fired during the '84 season before it ended. So, for the last few months of his recruitment, it would have been a different recruiter on staff. It could've been Trout had been his recruiter until late in the '84 season, and we lost any possible chance with Carter once Trout was gone.

But no, at the end of the recruiting season, February 1985, Trout was no longer at Miami. And as I said, that change might have played a role in our losing Carter, but that's just speculation now. That's consistent with what you're saying above. The turmoil and transition on the staff probably killed our ability to recruit quite a few players, including the South Miami LBs.

Don't forget that FSU was recruiting very well in '85. Look at that '85 class I linked to--it included Sammie Smith, Pat Tomberlin and Deon Sanders among others. They killed us in recruiting that year.