Mel Kiper raves about him. Now, Channing Tindall ready to prove worth for NFL team
It has been six years but Spring Valley football coach Robin Bacon still remembers the play.
The Vikings were playing a scrimmage at Brookland-Cayce and the Bearcats were on offense. BC ran a jet sweep around the left side but Spring Valley linebacker Channing Tindall, who was a sophomore, started at the middle of the field, pursued the Bearcat player and brought him down for a 4-yard loss.
“We were all like, ‘Holy crap how did he get there that quick?’ ” Bacon said this week. “Eye-popping to say the least.”
That moment might have been the first to open Bacon and the rest of the coaching staff’s eyes on Tindall’s talent but wasn’t the last. Tindall went on to a standout career for the Vikings, earning All-American honors, being a SC Mr. Football finalist and top-flight college prospect.
Tindall signed with Georgia and was part of the Bulldogs’ national championship team last season. Now, he is days away from becoming the latest Spring Valley player to be drafted by an NFL team. Former Viking NFL alumni include Peter and Michael Boulware, Willie Williams, Andre Roberts, Lethon Flowers and Christian Miller.
When he was in high school, Tindall saw the pictures and jerseys on the walls of those former NFL players and is ready to become one.
“Every time I look at the wall, I’m like wow and I want to be like this guy or that guy,” Tindall told The State in April of 2017. “It gives me motivation to be even better than these guys and have my name on the board so students from Spring Valley can try to be better than me.”
Tindall could be one of two former Midlands players to be drafted. Former Westwood standout Amare Barno is projected as a mid-to-late-round pick. Barno ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, tops among defensive linemen.
With many of his talented Georgia teammates such as Nakolbe Dean, Jordan Davis and Travon Walker getting much of the attention leading into the draft, Tindall’s name has gone under the radar but not by some national analysts. ESPN’s Mel Kiper called Tindall his favorite outside linebacker prospect in this year’s draft.
“With Georgia, we’ve talked about them all, but we haven’t talked about some of them enough,” Kiper said on a teleconference with reporters. “We talk about a lot of them a lot, and we know who they are. But some of them are going under the radar, and I’ll give you one off the bat: Channing Tindall.
“Channing Tindall can fly to the football. He can play inside or outside, he gives you a pass rusher inside or outside, someone who can be a great special-teamer. He does not get enough publicity.”
Probably some of the reason Tindall doesn’t get much attention is he didn’t make a start despite appearing in 50 games for the Bulldogs, who could have as many as 15 players taken in this year’s draft.. Still, he is listed as a top-100 prospect by NFL draft analysts and is projected to be taken in the second or early third round.
Tindall had strong showings at the Senior Bowl in January and at the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash and had a 42-inch vertical jump.
NFL scouts like Tindall’s speed and ability to play in the inside or outside linebacker spot.
“I feel like I can do it all,” Tindall said at the NFL Combine. “Good coming off the edge, good against the run and in coverage. It just matters what scheme they put me in. I feel like I can do whatever they want me to do.”
Tindall did that at Spring Valley, playing defensive end before moving to linebacker. He even saw time at tight end when the Vikings ran the flexbone offense.
Bacon raved about Tindall’s coachability and personality. Days after winning the national championship, he was back at Spring Valley to take pictures with teachers and former coaches.
“All his best friends are former players. He is a great teammate. Very humble, he hasn’t forgotten his roots,” Bacon said. “If he stays healthy and with his athleticism, he can play a long time in the NFL. We definitely are rooting for him.”
How to Watch the NFL Draft
When: Thursday, April 28 (Round 1) 8 p.m.; Friday, April 29 (Rounds 2-3), 7 p.m.; Saturday, April 30 (Rounds 4-7), noon.
Where: Las Vegas
TV: NFL Network, ABC, ESPN
Stream: fuboTV
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 6:15 AM.
