Warren Easton offensive lineman Jalan Chapman made Ole Miss his future home and celebrated that decision on the final day of the early signing period Friday at the high school.
The former LSU commitment reopened his recruitment early in the week and heard from Ole Miss coach Pete Golding and offensive line coach John Garrison on Tuesday.
Chapman, a four-year varsity starter at multiple spots on the offensive line, switched schools amid the coaching staff change with head coach Lane Kiffin arriving in Baton Rouge in place of fired head coach Brian Kelly.
Chapman said the new coaching staff “wanted to go another way,” and that “they’re going to pick up who they want to pick up,” adding that “you pick your shoulders up, poke your chest out and move on.”
Chapman first spoke with Garrison on Tuesday, and “he was like, we know the unfortunate circumstances (with LSU), but we got a place up here for you, so are you coming to be a Rebel or what.”
Easton coach Jerry Phillips described the 6-foot-4, 305-pound Chapman as a “mauler” who “plays angry,” and that “when he first walked through the doors (at Easton), he was the man.”
The four-year starter made his first start as a freshman against eventual state runner-up Ruston and frequently showed his aggressiveness on the field.
Phillips recalled one play when Chapman was a sophomore where he “took a kid and drove him like 15, 20 yards down the field, and then like, dumped him, like something you see on The Blind Side,” Phillips said in reference to the movie about former Ole Miss and NFL lineman Michael Oher.
“He got a penalty for that, saying he was too aggressive,” Phillips said. “I’m like, it’s football. That’s just who he is. Off the field, he’s kind-hearted, you won’t even know he’s in the room. On the field, he’s a monster.”
Chapman did not play a full season the last two years because of a meniscus tear in the fourth game of his junior year and a broken hand in the sixth game as a senior.
He tried to play with a cast on the hand, but the cast broke, and Phillips said he decided that Chapman should end the season there.
“At the end of the day, of course we wanted him to play,” Phillips said, adding that “I’m one of those coaches that sees the big picture, and the big picture is this,” he said as he motioned toward the signing-day celebration held Friday in the Easton library.
Chapman began playing football at age 9 at Joe Brown Park and started to realize his potential at age 13 when he played for the New Orleans Dolphins travel team, he said.
“That’s what I love about the sport,” Chapman said about the aggressiveness he shows on the field. “You can legally take a man from his will and make him do what you do.”
Chapman will be the first midyear enrollee out of Easton in school history, Phillips said. Easton offensive lineman David Baker signed with UL during the early period. The school will celebrate his signing during the traditional signing period in February.
