Rosewood's 'Gentle Giant' finds his niche on football field

By News-Argus Staff
Published in Sports on August 11, 2014 7:51 AM

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aetzler@newsargus.com

Tyree Chavious is big.

Real big.

At 6-foot-4 and 290 pounds, he towers over everyone on the football field-- including his coaches.

When the Eagles team captain and leader of the offensive line takes off his helmet, his proportionately big smile is contagious to those around him. But deep down lie the nerves and the self-consciousness he had as a little boy. When he wasn't quite sure where he would fit in in life.

Always the biggest kid around, Chavious recalls the nervousness he felt when he met his step-mother's side of the family in sixth grade.

"I had to meet all new family," Chavious said. "And, man, I was worried because I was like, 'I'm kinda chunky, and they all skinny. What are they gonna think?'"

When the kids ran around outside, Chavious struggled to keep up. His self-consciousness grew, and he soon became a quiet and introverted teenager.

Chavious did a lot of reading much like his mom, who had a passion for books. His favorites were Junie B. Jones and the Magic Treehouse series, and hopes to have a library in his home one day.

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Although people wanted Chavious to play sports because of his size, he usually shied away from them ... until he witnessed one bone-breaking hit on the football field.

He was hooked.

Chavious was good at football, but wasn't accepted as one of the guys and got shunned by his teammates in eighth grade. Two years later, as a sophomore at Rosewood, the upperclassmen didn't like having the young guy around.

"I tried to slide into a friend group and they'd just look at me," Chavious said. "They wouldn't say anything to me. So I'm the type of person if you don't want to talk to me I'll keep to myself."

An outcast with family members as the only friends on the team, Chavious never tried to be anything more than what he wanted to be -- a big kid. Soon, people started loving him for it.

Chavious got involved in ROTC and is a Sergeant Major -- the leader of the Rosewood class.

He's finally embraced his "bigness" -- he's no longer the chunky kid who couldn't keep up with family members. He's the big 18-year-old lineman who college recruiters flock to because of his fleet-footedness.

"I'm big, but I lift heavy, I move good. You just have to be comfortable with it," he said. "If you don't love yourself, no one else will. You know what I'm saying?"

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He jogs off the field after a two hour practce -- still full of energy. Chavious flashes that big smile. A turquoise bandana keeps the sweat from his eyes.

He greets the parents of his teammates.

Chavious enthusiastically talks about a lot of things most high school students don't. He could go on for hours about why Superman would have been defeated by the "Joker," but Batman will always prevail.

He's no longer self-conscious, but comfortable enough to do things that might not seem cool to other high school kids.

"Tyree is who he is and he's perfectly happy with that," Rosewood offensive line coach Jason King said. "He knows what he likes. It's not like anyone is going to say anything to him about it anyway, you know?"

He's outspoken and boisterous, the first to encourage his teammates to push themselves.

They've gravitated toward him and see him as a leader.

"I think people recognize him as a leader because they see he's put the work in," Rosewood coach Robert Britt said.

"And we have a lot of guys who have put the work in. But Tyree is the first to help out another teammate and put everyone else before himself."

He remembers the feeling he got from upperclassmen. He makes sure a younger player never feels unwelcome. When most young players see him, they're taken aback in fear. But, Chavious welcomes them in.

"I just smile and tell them we're on the same level," he said. "We're the same person all working toward the same thing. I'm not any better than them."

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It was of little surprise to Chavious' father when he verbally committed to play football at James Madison University, despite not having his full blessing.

"I talked to him and said I wanted to commit," Chavious said. "He said 'do (your thing)' I thought that meant I could go ahead and commit."

It didn't.

Still, Chavious called the JMU coaches about his decision. One coach made Chavious talk to his wife while he celebrated.

Chavious' dad remained concerned.

"What makes you think you can make a decision like that on your own?' his father asked.

"You said 'do (your thing),' so that's what I did," Chavious said.

That's what Chavious has always done.

His father worried about the decision because Wake Forest and the University of North Carolina had started to show interest. He didn't want his son to make a choice when more schools might come to him this year.

"They missed out," Chavious said simply.

Not JMU.

Chavious knew from the minute they came to recruit him that it was the right choice. When the coach showed up to practice, Chavious stopped the team jog and walked over to talk to him -- as he had done every time a college recruiter came to see him.

"Did your coach tell you to stop jogging?" the coach asked.

"No sir," Chavious replied.   

"Then why'd you stop?" the coach quipped.

"So, I started jogging," Chavious said. "I knew right then. They said they're going to make me a better man. They kept it 100 (percent) with me. I believe them."

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Chavious can't wait to put on his uniform this fall.

He hesitates to say that spirit week is what he's looking forward to most since it will be his last homecoming game with his teammates -- guys he considers to be his brothers.

But, as one might expect, Chavious loves spirit week. Last year, for super-hero day, Chavious decided he didn't want to dress up as a conventional hero and thought outside the box. He dyed his blonde high-top fade green, and painted his face white and red to look like the "Joker" -- his favorite villain.

"I just wanted to do something different, I guess," he said.

Instead of being that kid who grew up wanting to fit in, maybe Chavious was always meant to stand out.