To say Zachary is home for Chandler Whitfield is gross understatement.
He is a product of Zachary who grew up playing football and basketball in town from a young age and continued through Northwestern Middle School and Zachary High School.
My first interaction with him was when he was 8 years old starring as a wide receiver in youth football. He was special then and years later he is still special.
Before delving into his journey home, it is important to bring those who may not be aware of how special he was before he left. Most of the teams he played on in youth football and in middle school were undefeated. He was also one of the most critical offensive components of the back-to-back state championship teams of 2017 and 2018.
He was the slot receiver that always got open and drove West Monroe crazy before Chris Hilton stuck in the dagger. Ask any ardent Bronco football fan and they will tell you he is probably the best they have ever seen at the inside receiver position, fearless across the middle on crossing routes and fielding punts.
After high school, he accepted a football scholarship to ULM and went to Monroe, where he suffered through the worst football season of his life as the Warhawks went 0-12.
I have coached or watched Whitfield since he was 8 and I can tell you that he has never been on a losing team before much less a team that did not win a game. Home was calling.
He entered the transfer portal after that horrible year and coach Dawson Odums at Southern leaped at the chance to bring Whitfield home and make him a Jaguar.
“I told my parents I envisioned coming home to Southern and making big plays in the Bayou Classic,” Whitfield said.
He fought through injuries and capped his college career in the Bayou Classic, where he was named the outstanding performer after he made the play of the day with a one-handed 41-yard touchdown catch and finished with 134 yards and a touchdown on five catches. What a way to finish a career.
On his last game Whitfield indicated that “winning the Classic was coming full circle for me and I told my dad that this was what I always dreamed and visualized.”
Whitfield will let you know that between his time at Zachary and Southern “I’m undefeated in the Dome.”
After graduation from Southern, Whitfield indicated that he was still trying to figure out his next steps when he received a blast from his past.
Coach Brewerton reached out to his cousin who was attending ZHS and indicated in no uncertain terms that Whitfield needed to come by and talk.
“Coach Brew asked me if I ever thought about coaching and to tell you the truth it never crossed my mind,” Whitfield said.
He prayed about it and was asked a similar question by his father a few days later. The idea picked up steam as friends and family all (absent of the knowledge of his meeting with Brewerton) independently came to the same conclusion.
Whitfield worked with the receivers this spring and his former coach Drew Nettles. Whitfield indicated that in addition to the joy of the spring and coaching that “the old memories creep back of all the things we did when I played here growing up.”
On Nettles, he relayed that they have swapped roles in a way. Whitfield was the star when Nettles was in his first year coaching at Zachary and now Nettles is mentoring his former player in his first year of coaching.
Whitfield also has the opportunity to coach his little brother, Skylar.
“I asked Skyler if he was OK with it before I took the job. He had no concerns so I am going to hold him to it,” Whitfield quipped.
No pressure, but Skylar wears his brother’s old number 19. So come this fall you there will be a Whitfield roaming the sidelines and on the field. Chandler, a Zachary Legend, and little brother Skylar a sophomore who is aware of the high standard and expectation for wearing both the “Z” on his helmet and his brother’s number.