Chubb Ready For His Senior Day
This is not the only reason Bradley Chubb returned to NC State for his senior season, but it is one of the bigger ones.
Chubb will get to be honored with the other members of his class prior to kickoff when the Wolfpack hosts North Carolina Saturday at Carter-Finley Stadium.
Good or bad. Right or wrong. He is finishing what he started four seasons ago.
He also has something that is important to play for when he takes the field against the Tar Heels and the record that UNC brings to Raleigh is of no importance.
"That is the rival," Chubb said of North Carolina. "The last game in Carter-Finley. I haven’t beaten them here in the stadium yet so that is definitely the motivation. They are still a good team. No matter what the record says, records don’t count in this game. It is all about who executes the most."
The time has flown by for Chubb. He has been seen the Senior Day drill before. It still seems surreal that it is his turn to make that walk onto the field to be honored.
So many of his teammates on the defensive line over the years have make that trek. It had him thinking.
"I remember when Mike Rose, Art Norman, T.Y McGill, Thomas Teal and Monty Nelson were walking out there for Senior Day, and I am thinking I have still got years left here," Chubb said. "To see it come down to the same game where I looked at them and said I have got a lot of years left, now I am in that position. It is just crazy."
If Chubb could go back and speak to the freshman version of himself he would have a clear message as to what it takes to adjust to college football.
He would also remind himself not to stray over to Western Boulevard for fast food meals.
"I would tell him to start fast in school, I would tell him to hit the weight room and I would tell him to eat better," Chubb said of the hypothetical conversation he would have with himself. "My first couple of years I was just eating whatever. I was introduced to Bojangles and all of that. I was eating it all day."
There will some nice meals in the future according to a teammate.
"If you ask Justin [Jones] he says all the time that at Thanksgiving we are coming over to my house and he is bringing his kids," Chubb said. "We definitely plan on staying close because I have done everything with these guys and I feel like when this is over our relationship will continue. I love these guys to death."
As he reflects back on the growth he has made in Raleigh, the analogy that Chubb uses is growing from an older teenager to a young man. It seems like a minor difference but the journey towards adulthood while at NC State has been profound.
"I feel like this university has helped me become a man in the situation that I have been put in, whether it be in the classroom, on the football field or off the field," Chubb said. "The coaches have been great role models and father figures to me. The guys up here are all like brothers to me. I grew a lot with them, on and off the field, and I have become a lot more mature since I have got here. It has been a fun journey and I am looking forward to finishing it off here in Carter-Finley on Saturday."
When Chubb does finish it off he will get to share it with his family, teammates, coaches, classmates and fans.
That is ultimately why he came back. Chubb is finishing the journey. He will leave NC State will no regrets.
"That is definitely one thing Coach Doeren and I talked about,” Chubb said of Senior Day. “My brother had his opportunity to go through his senior day. My parents were there. I saw the pictures. The just looked so happy. I remember seeing that so to be able to do it on a collegiate level, it is definitely going to be special.
"That is one of the things Coach Doeren and I talked about, just being able to walk out on the field and finish this thing with my brothers and beat our rival on that day. That is what my hope is for this weekend. I am excited and looking forward to it."
