Chris Tomasson / St. Paul Pioneer Press
Excerpt – In March 2018, Kellen Mond and Chazz Surratt were both young college quarterbacks looking to take a big step. They met and bonded in San Diego at a training camp run by quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr.
Mond, then at Texas A&M, went on to become one of the nation’s top quarterbacks and is now a rookie for the Vikings. As for Surratt, well, he took a different path.
Three years ago, Surratt was coming off a 2017 season in which he was North Carolina’s primary starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman, throwing for 1,342 yards and eight touchdowns in the nine games he played. But 2018 would turn out to be a disaster.
Surratt was among 13 Tar Heels players suspended for selling school-issued sneakers, getting a three-game penalty. In his first game back, he threw three interceptions in 10 passes against Miami and suffered a wrist injury that ended his season.
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Then in 2019, the Tar Heels brought in highly touted freshman quarterback Sam Howell to be the starter. Rather than transfer or be reduced to a likely backup role to finish his college career, Surratt decided to switch to linebacker.
That was a good decision. The athletic Surratt quickly adjusted to his new position and was taken by the Vikings in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft in April with No. 78 pick overall. He was excited to become teammates with Mond, who also was a Vikings third-round draft pick, No. 66 overall.
“We hung out down there and I got to know him pretty well,” Surratt said of his time with Mond at the Whitfield Academy. “And our dads (Kevin Surratt and Kevin Mond) kind of clicked. … So I’ve known Kellen for quite a while now, and we actually trained at the same training center (in South Florida earlier this year) for the combine and pro days, so I’ve got a pretty good relationship with Kellen. I’m excited we’re both on the same team.”
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From highly recruited quarterback to Vikings linebacker, Chazz Surratt has traveled a ‘unique path’
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