Fans of Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference football may want to keep an eye on the Tennessee Titans this fall, considering that former Calvert Hall linebacker Chance Campbell and erstwhile Archbishop Spalding running back Julius Chestnut made the Music City team’s NFL roster out of training camp.
Campbell, who was place on Injured Reserve on Friday and will miss at least the first four games of the season, was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft in April while Chestnut was signed as an undrafted free agent a couple of weeks later.
Both had terrific careers for their respective prep and college teams and then survived the gauntlet that is an NFL training camp to earn roster spots.
As a senior at Spalding, Chestnut gained 926 yards on the ground and 15 scored touchdowns while averaging more than 100 yards per outing after putting up even bigger numbers (6.7 yards per carry, 945 yards rushing, 21 TDs) as a junior.
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Spalding coach Kyle Schmitt said that Chestnut “embodies everything our school and program are about. He matches a relentless work ethic and high character with great talent. He was a joy for our staff to coach and a role model for our current football players.”

Chestnut said that he always had confidence in his ability to perform at a high level, despite being passed over by Division I college programs.”
I felt that I could play at any school in the nation,” the 5-foot-11, 228-pound speedster said. “But I was absolutely always overlooked.”
Instead of testing the waters in the Big Ten, Atlantic Coast Conference or any other “Power Five” league, Chestnut made the most of his college gridiron career for a Football Championship Series program at Sacred Heart University of the Northeast Conference.
Chestnut quickly established himself as a bona fide star who was named to the Associated Press and FCS First-Team All-American squad while finishing third in voting for the coveted Walter Payton Award as a junior at the Connecticut school.
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And he also made a good first impression with the Titans in his first NFL preseason game against his hometown Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium, turning the corner for a 27-yard gain late in the first half.
All told, Chestnut carried the ball 26 carries for 106 yards and a score for the Titans this summer.
And that is exactly why he chose to sign with the Titans, he said.
”Coach Vrabel and his staff told me that I would have a chance to make the team,” Chestnut added. “That’s why I came here. What I’ve been doing (in training camp) is what I’ve been doing my whole career.”
“He will do a great job at whatever role Coach Vrabel and the staff give him on offense and special teams,” Schmitt said. “We are excited to see him grow in the NFL.”
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Campbell said that he and Chestnut recognized each other in training camp, but neither MIAA alum remembered much about their encounters when the Cardinals and Cavaliers met on the gridiron.
Even so, the former University of Maryland linebacker, who transferred to the University of Mississippi to play his final year, noted that Chestnut has what it takes.
“He does a little bit of everything very well,” Campbell said. “And he’s super-shifty.”
Chestnut returned the compliment by praising Campbell’s competitive nature.”
I could tell that the the first time I saw him on the field,” Chestnut said. “He’s always around the ball.”
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The 6-foot-2, 232-pound Campbell was a force for Calvert Hall, with some of his most memorable outings in key situations.
For instance, as a senior he was a big part of the Cardinals’ 35-0 victory over Mount St. Joseph when his 12-yard fumble return set up the game’s second touchdown followed on the next series by his 35-yard pick six.
In the 98th Turkey Bowl later that season against archival Loyola Blakefield, Campbell had a banner day when he had three sacks, snagged an interception and ran for a pair of touchdowns from scrimmage in the Cardinals’ 27-6 triumph, his fourth victory in as many tries against the Dons.

Schmitt said that Chance was a player who stood out on tape early in his career.”
He played with great effort and intensity leading the Calvert Hall defense,” the Cavs coach said. “It was clear that he was an exceptional leader both on and off the field. He was a very good tackler in high school and is a player that will be great on defense and special teams.”
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At Maryland, Campbell climbed the ladder until he was counted on to be a leader on the Terps’ defense as a junior.
The highlight of that season was a rare win over longtime nemesis Penn State, during which Campbell’s 34-yard scoop-and-score was a big moment in the 35-19 verdict.
He then transferred to Ole Miss where he called defensive plays and totaled 109 total tackles with 12.5 of them resulting in negative yardage while playing in the talent-rich Southeastern Conference.
Campbell said that there “wasn’t a specific moment” when he felt he could play at the sport’s highest level.”
It’s a dream I’ve had since I was a little kid,” he said. “It’s always been a goal, but I still have a lot of things in front of me. I just have to keep my head down and keep doing the little stuff.”
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Campbell is not the lone ex-Cardinal to grace an NFL roster. Green Bay Packers defensive back Adrian Amos is going into his eighth NFL season after a terrific career at Penn State and wide-out Lawrence Cager will be on the New York Jets sideline when the Ravens pay a visit to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday.
Cager has played in three NFL games in parts of two other seasons after playing in college for the universities of Miami and Georgia.
He said that he’s proud to be a part of the Calvert Hall’s NFL contingent.
“I think we get overlooked in Maryland,” he said. “But we have a lot of talented guys.”
Cager noted that Sunday’s game against the Ravens will be special.
”It’s funny how God works these things,” he said. “I’m excited to be playing against my hometown team, but I have to treat it like any other game, so it doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We want to make a statement and show how good we’re going to be.”
The imposing 6-foot-5, 220-pound receiver said that he still feels he has plenty to prove.”
You can’t get too comfortable or be complacent,” he said. “I’ve been cut a couple of times, so the thought never entered my mind that I have made it.”
There is at least two other notable ex-MIAA player expecting to play a major role for an NFL team — Deonte Harris of the New Orleans Saints and Kyle Fuller with the Ravens.
The Archbishop Curley product is in his fourth year with the Saints and has already played in 36 games and scored four TDs, primarily as a returner.
Fuller starred at Mount St. Joseph before going on to a brilliant college career at Virginia Tech. He is in his ninth NFL season after signing as a free agent with Baltimore this summer. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection with the Chicago Bears, who drafted him in 2014. He played seven seasons with the Bears and spent last year with the Denver Broncos.
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