An interview with former Georgia football RB Nick Chubb’s first cousin Harlem Diamond, who is a rising star at Cedartown High School.
Nick Chubb will be a household name with Georgia Bulldog football fans for the rest of eternity.
The former Bulldog great trails just one other running back in the all-time Georgia rushing rankings, and that man is Herschel Walker. Chubb is second in yards (4,769) and touchdowns (44) in the school’s history.
The kid out of Cedartown, Georgia blew away expectations, helping the Dawgs win an SEC Championship and a Rose Bowl and becoming one of the greatest Georgia Bulldogs of all time.
Chubb, who currently plays for the Cleveland Browns, is now the highest graded PFF running back in the NFL, but the family’s football blood doesn’t stop with Nick.
Chubb’s first cousin Harlem Diamond is a rising sophomore at Cedartown High School in Chubb’s hometown, where he is a three sport athlete.
“I play football, basketball and baseball. I started playing football at the age of 5.” Harlem told me in a phone interview.
I asked Harlem which sport was his favorite and the answer was clear.
“Football. I love football, it’s not an easy sport, you really have to work hard at it. Not anyone can play football. You have to be tough and may be a little crazy.”
Harlem is a two-way player, playing running back just like his cousin, in addition to playing defensive back. Apparently ball carrying style and his work ethic resemble that of his role model’s.
“Nick Chubb is my role model, he is a great person.” Harlem said. “I look up to him. He works hard in the weight room and is very humble, so I try to copy his work ethic… My vision at running back is something I have heard (that mimics Nick’s game). I would say just bringing a winning attitude to the game overall.”
And just like Nick, Harlem is not to be messed with in the weight room. At 15 years old, standing at 5-foot-6, 145 pounds, Harlem is benching 205, power cleaning 200 and squatting 305 pounds. Those are some legit numbers for a rising sophomore in high school.
Harlem’s performance in the classroom is also something not to be overlooked, as he currently has a 3.7 GPA.
I spoke with Harlem about his expectations for next year as well as his personal goals for the season.
“I’m just ready to prove myself. Our team’s mindset is to play hard every game, win regions and go to states. The goal I have set is to work hard, encourage my teammates and rush for 1,000 yards or have 100 tackles.”
Harlem has had incredible support from his family his entire life, with his father being the ultimate sports dad. Harlem’s father, James, is the all-time tackle leader at Cedartown High.
“Just knowing that he is on my side is motivation.” Harlem said. “He believes in me regardless of the sport. He was the defensive player of the year in high school in 1999 and holds the tackle record at Cedartown High School so I listen when he talks. He just wants to see me be successful in life, on or off the field. I have great support from my entire family.”
Harlem reminisced on his favorite memory with his cousin.
“I was at a football all-star game in Athens and Nick came over to the dorms, picked me up and gave me a private tour of the UGA facilities during the All-Star week.”
Harlem is just as good a baseball player as he is a football player, but you can just refer to him as the Bass Master from now on.
“I love to fish. I consider myself a Bass Master, my biggest bass weighed 8.5 pounds.”
From the looks of it, the two have an unbreakable bond through family and football. Harlem is now trying to make a name for himself in the football world and hopes to get recruited by a top program soon, as it is still early in the recruiting process for him.
Dawgs fans would love the idea of having Nick Chubb’s cousin Harlem taking over as the next great Georgia running back, and we hope that becomes a reality.
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