Tag: nick chubb uga

Checking in on Nick Chubb’s cousin, Harlem Diamond – a rising Cedartown star

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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Nick Chubb wants to show small-town kids that you CAN make it big time

Cedartown native and Georgia football RB Nick Chubb, now of the Cleveland Browns, wants to show small-town kids that you can make it to NFL.

Nick Chubb came to Georgia as a five-star recruit in the class of 2015 out of Cedartown, Georgia, a small town with a population of around 10,000.

Chubb wasted no time putting his hometown on the map, rushing for 1,547 yards during his freshman year at UGA. Within months, Cedartown was featured in ESPN segments, was written about in nearly every article discussing Chubb and was receiving plenty of recognition.

Chubb’s stellar career continued, and eventually he finished as the school’s second all-time leading rusher. Trailing only Herschel Walker.

He went on to become the 35th overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns. After a solid rookie season in which he did not receive nearly enough touches, Chubb again put Cedartown in the national spotlight, tallying 1,494 rushing yards during the 2019 NFL season. He came 46 yards shy of leading the league in rushing.

Chubb wants to be an example for kids not only from Cedartown, but from small towns all across the country.

“Now, I use myself as an example for the kids who still go there. No matter if we do come from a small town, you can still fulfill your dreams. You can still play college at a D-1, and you can still go to the NFL,” Chubb said to CBS Sports’ Jim Rome.

Chubb also mentioned that growing up in Cedartown, people would tell him that he needed to move to a bigger city where he can garner more national recognition.

But Chubb stayed put and perfected his craft in his hometown.

“Just coming from the small town I came from, older guys that lived there said I should move away,” Chubb said. “I’d never get attention there. College coaches never come looking in this small town. I’d never make it. That just motivated me to go harder in high school.”

So he stayed, and he signed with Georgia as the fifth ranked running back in his class.

“So, I’m using myself as an example for them to keep their head on straight and not listen to the outside world. Just keep focusing on what’s important.”

Top NFL players under 25: One Bulldog makes the cut, but way too low

One Georgia football player, Nick Chubb of the Cleveland Browns, made Bleacher Report’s rankings of the top-25 under the age of 25.

This week, Bleacher Report ranked the top-25 NFL players under the age of 25.

As expected, Georgia had one player on the list, however, he was ranked a bit lower than I would have had him.

Bleacher Report ranked former Georgia running back Nick Chubb, now with the Cleveland Browns, as the 20th best NFL player under the age of 25.

20th? No disrespect to Bleacher Report, I know they can’t possibly please everybody with a list like this, but Chubb finished second in the NFL in rushing last season. And I don’t care what changes Cleveland has made…he did it on the BROWNS.

Chubb, who dons the jersey #24 for the Browns, is also 24 years old.

On Chubb, BR wrote:

Among 25 running backs who have carried the ball 300-plus times since Nick Chubb came into the NFL in 2018, Chubb ranks first with 5.1 yards per attempt.

The 24-year-old 2018 second-round pick doesn’t get as much publicity as several star running backs yet to be named on this list, and his numbers related to fumbles and receiving could be better. But from a statistical standpoint, he’s right there with the top offensive weapons in the league.

Running backs ranked ahead of Chubb include:

No. 18: Dalvin Cook

No. 14: Ezekiel Elliott

No. 13: Saquon Barkley

No. 12: Alvin Kamara

No. 11: Christian McCaffrey

All those guys are great backs, but are we really going to sit here and say that Chubb, who I’ll remind you again finished No. 2 in rushing last season by only 46 yards, is the sixth best running back under the age of 25?

Yeah, I can’t get on board with that.

Who belongs on UGA football’s Mt. Rushmore for the decade?

ESPN’s Paul Finebaum released his Georgia Bulldogs football Mt. Rushmore for the 2010s decade. Who was UGA’s best of the decade?

It’s been a decade full of ups and downs for Georgia Bulldog fans around the country. Georgia fans have seen a coaching change, had their hearts broken numerous times, and seen their Dawgs bounce back to the nation’s elite from a 6-7 season in the 2010 season.

Who have been the best Georgia Bulldogs this decade? One caveat that’s required is the player has to have made an impact this decade, not last decade. For instance A.J. Green would be in the running, but he only played one season (2010) this decade.

Here’s who Paul Finebaum put on Georgia’s all-decade team:

This isn’t a bad Mt. Rushmore. Sony Michel, Todd Gurley, and Nick Chubb show Georgia’s prowess at running back this decade. Gurley is the only player to leave after three years. Murray, Chubb, and Michel all stayed four years, which greatly helps their cause.

One question is: do you pick the best players or the ones who had the longest, most impactful careers?

Other candidates include: Jarvis Jones, Jake Fromm, Roquan Smith, Andrew Thomas, Deandre Baker, Alec Ogletree, Rodrigo Blankenship, Brandon Boykin, Bacarri Rambo, J.R. Reed, David Andrews, and Isaiah Wynn. Lots of talent has come through Athens this decade.

My Mt. Rushmore is: Aaron Murray, Andrew Thomas, Sony Michel, and Nick Chubb. Michel and Chubb played four years in Athens, so they get the nod over Todd Gurley. Each of these players are three or four-year starters, unlike Deandre Baker and Roquan Smith. I don’t think these are the best players (Todd Gurley was the best RB of the decade), but they each had long, consistent careers.

The defense gets no love, but defenders have rarely made a huge impact for three or four seasons in Athens. Brandon Boykin only played two years this decade. J.R. Reed was the toughest to leave off the list. He’s put up impressive numbers in his three season stay in Athens. Reed should’ve won the Jim Thorpe Award over Grant Delpit last week.

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