By Rubin E. Grant
Kory Chapman doesn’t have the football in his hands often, but when he does, he wants to revel in it.
“I’m thinking celebration after I score,” Chapman said.
Twice this season, Hoover’s 5-foot-11-inch, 185-pound senior strong safety has had a rollicking good time with the ball in his hands. He returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against Hewitt-Trussville and had a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown against Tuscaloosa County.
“It’s amazing, especially being on defense and not scoring a lot,” Chapman said, describing his pick six touchdowns. “It’s surreal, especially at Hoover.
“I make a lot of tackles, but I prefer interceptions because it’s easy to find the end zone.”
Football is part of Chapman’s DNA.
His dad, also named Kory Chapman, played running back at Jacksonville State and had a short-lived NFL career, bouncing around on the practice squads of the Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns. He played in three games for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2005 season. He also picked up two Super Bowl rings, one with the Patriots and one with the Colts.
The elder Kory Chapman now is a high school football coach in Cold Water, Mississippi.
The younger Chapman started playing because of his dad.
“I have been around football basically my whole life,” Chapman said. “It’s my passion. It’s fun flying around and bringing a lot of energy.”
Passionate Player
Chapman’s passion is evident whenever he is on the field.
“It’s obvious that you know what you’re going to get from him when he’s on the field, in the game or in practice,” Hoover defensive back coach Preston Sanford said. “He brings energy and passion. You constantly watch him when you pull up a video and show clips. He practices right. He’s so gifted on the field and you like that as a coach.
“Off the field, he’s kind of laid back and has a goofy character. He’s a funny, funny kid and he makes everybody feel welcome, whether he’s talking to a random freshman or a senior.”
Chapman said that’s part of being a leader.
“Being a two-year starter and having young guys to lead, I try to lead by example and by voice,” he said. “I take it to heart so young guys will do the same when they’re older.”
Chapman gained plenty of experience during the 2018 season playing against quarterbacks such as Pinson Valley’s Bo Nix, Thompson’s Taulia Tagovailoa and Hewitt-Trussville’s Paul Tyson. Nix is now the starting quarterback as a freshman at Auburn and Tagovailoa and Tyson are both at Alabama.
In practice, Chapman has faced Robby Ashford, one of the top-rated senior quarterbacks in the nation this season, although he’s been sidelined the past month with a foot injury.
“Going against players like that, you were coming up against some of the best quarterbacks in the country who are now in college,” Chapman said of Nix, Tagovailoa and Tyson. “And going against our quarterbacks, especially Robby, in practice makes us so much better.”
Being a Ballhawk
Chapman has earned the reputation of being a player who’s always around the ball. He forced a key fumble in Hoover’s season-opening 17-14 victory against defending Class 7A champion Central-Phenix City in the AHSAA Kickoff Classic game. In the game against Tuscaloosa County, he had a fumble recovery in addition to his interception return.
“His instincts make him a ballhawk,” Sanford said. “Guys like him, you don’t want to coach too much. You don’t want him to become like a robot. He realizes when he needs to make something happen. He’s always ripping at the ball. (Against Central) he saw an opening and ripped it out.
“It’s just his understanding of the game. He baits the quarterback into throwing the ball. He’s holds his ground until the last moment.”
Chapman had a simple explanation for his ballhawking skills.
“It’s just a matter of flying to the ball and playing like you practice,” he said.
Chapman will have a chance to take his talent to the next level. He said he’s received offers from Austin Peay and Alabama A&M, and a few other schools have their eyes on him, including Tulane, Southern Miss and Louisville.
But at the moment, Chapman said, he is focused is on trying to help the Bucs reclaim the Class 7A title. After winning consecutive titles in 2016 and 2017, Hoover was eliminated in the semifinals by Thompson last year.
The Bucs (6-1, 4-1 in Class 7A, Region 3) are in the midst of a challenging four-game stretch to close the regular season. They beat crosstown rival Spain Park 42-35 last week and this week play host to longtime rival Vestavia Hills (5-2, 3-2) in a crucial region game Friday at 7 p.m. at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Next week Hoover visits region foe Mountain Brook (7-0, 5-0) and then plays national powerhouse IMG Academy (7-0) on Nov. 1.
The Bucs will be seeking the 500th victory in program history when it plays Vestavia Hills.
Chapman doesn’t expect the Bucs to feel any pressure from such a demanding schedule.
“We’re taking one game at a time and trying to play up to our standards every week,” he said.