He’s the unsung starter doing yeoman’s work in Clemson’s offense
Start ticking off the receiving yardage leaders of the Clemson football team. It takes a while to find J.C. Chalk.
He’s behind the no-doubt stars in Justyn Ross and Tee Higgins. He’s behind their talented backups Diondre Overton, Joseph Ngata and Frank Ladson Jr. He’s behind running backs Travis Etienne and Lyn-J Dixon.
Clemon’s starting tight end is even behind walk-on receiver Will Swinney, who only plays offense in blowouts.
And Chalk is fine with that.
“I mean, I’ve seen some programs, it’s really flashy,” Chalk said of the tight end spot. “Guys are catching 10 balls a game. I think we do a bunch of different stuff. We’re very involved in the run game. We can open up a lot of stuff in the run game and then you know we can be open when we need to be.
“We all want to win, so whatever it takes.”
The job of a tight end at Clemson is a selfless one these days. The spot where Jordan Leggett piled up numbers has become workmanlike as the team prepares to play LSU in the College Football Playoff title game.
At 6-foot-3, 255 pounds, Chalk leads everyone at his position with 13 catches and 60 yards. So the position has morphed into something else.
“Nothing but glorified linemen,” offensive tackle Tremayne Anchrum said with a smile, “if you really want to be frank about it. Those guys have to buy into what’s best for the team. At that point, you become like basically a lineman. You know people have the option to transfer, go other places, go somewhere where they throw the ball a little more, get their name in the paper a little more.
“That’s the special part about playing for a great team is that certain people have to give up individual goals and individual places they want to be for the betterment of the team.”
Does Chalk ever long for the chance to do a little more — perhaps haul in a few passes a game as the 6-foot-6 Leggett did his senior season?
“He’s a freak,” Chalk said. “I don’t know if anyone could come and replace what he did. But you know, once again you don’t want to be like anyone else. You want to be your own person. So just coming in and doing what I’ve done, I’ve been pleased with it. I’ve helped the team win.”
Chalk — J.C. stands for John Clifton — said he grew up in a family that taught him “it’s about the better of everyone else.” So a team-first approach was almost natural.
He leads a tight ends group that includes Luke Price, Davis Allen and Braden Galloway, who just returned off a year-long suspension following a failed drug test. Even last year, no one at the position registered much in the receiving game. Chalk himself had to wait behind other players, getting five and then seven snaps a game as a redshirt freshman and sophomore the past two years.
Clemson is a place that suits Chalk well. He was a star on several strong teams at Argyle High in Texas, putting up 486 and 545 yards his final two seasons on teams that played for state titles.
His high school coach, Todd Rodgers, remembered far back enough when the multi-sport athlete was slinging passes rather than catching them.
“J.C. was a middle-school quarterback for us,” Rodgers said. “Had an excellent arm and great mobility and I knew he was going to be a big kid. His dad is big and and, you know, we were we were projecting him out, how he would help us on the varsity football team.”
In high school, Chalk often played wide receiver and could overwhelm smaller defenders. Contributing more as a lineman wasn’t the path his high school coach expected — with blocking as a focus — but it’s not a bad one. Chalk had to learn the finer points of being physical at the point of attack on running plays, something that impressed Rodgers.
The way Chalk immediately dove into the Clemson playbook around when he enrolled showed a little something about how he would approach everything that came after.
Chalk joked that his hometown had about three stoplights, so the atmosphere of Clemson resonated when he picked the Tigers ahead of Alabama, Oklahoma and Texas. That, along with the culture, the coaches and everything else pulled the Army All-America Bowl participant halfway across the country. (He committed in 2014, a year and a half before they even played for their 2015 national title.)
In some ways, that culture reflects the role he now finds himself in. Despite talented players having to wait their turns surrounded by so much other talent, they’ve mostly avoided transfers. Players instead found their roles, even if it took some time.
“He’s grown up a lot,” offensive lineman Gage Cervenka said. “He’s matured. He’s become a better football player. You really see it. He’s fully understanding the game and just our scheme and how things go. Just to see him grow up, and now he’s in a leadership role, which was amazing to see how he motivates his other peers.
“He’s a great person to be around just because he’s always smiling. He’s always joking around, so he always brightens up a room.”
When the Tigers play for their third title in four years, Chalk will be in the thick of things up front, clearing out defenders, aiding in pass protection and maybe, if needed, providing a little outlet for his QB.
And he’ll relish the chance.
“That’s the role of a tight end,” Chalk said. “Whatever we have to do to win, it makes us happy and just being a part of it. It’s just awesome.”
When is the Clemson-LSU football game?
Who: Clemson vs. LSU
When: 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13
Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans
TV: ESPN
Betting line: LSU by 5.5
