Chaz Davis is a staff member of Michigan State Football where he is in his first year as assistant director of football operations. prior to his move to MSU, Davis worked at Northern Arizona University as director of football operation and player personnel. Since he has such a crucial role to the team and has a deep understanding of college athletics, I asked him a few questions about what it takes to be successful as a college athlete based on his time at NAU.

1.  As director of football operations and player personnel what is your role in the development of players in your program? Do you take on the role of a coach or do you have a more logistical role?

Chaz immediately responded by saying that he is not at all a coach, but he handles most of the day-to-day tasks that come across the program so the coaches can focus on the “X's and O's.” One thing he always tries to do is act as a friend to all the players on the program so that they feel welcomed and at home.

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2. What kind of environment is created by the coaching staff in order to facilitate the growth of players?

Mr. Davis's response to this question was a quote by NAU head football coach Chris Ball: “Recruiting is the most important thing we do after our players.” All staff members and coaches of the NAU program have an open door policy so that players can always stop by if they need anything. He says that NAU obviously cares about winning but that is prioritized behind their relationship with their players and making sure that their players are graduating with meaningful degrees. Lastly, he provided me with the NAU program motto which is “CHOP,” and stands for character, hard-working, ownership, and present.

3. How does the football staff promote academic growth in its players? Are there support systems in place to help struggling student-athletes?

NAU has an athletic director of academics, two academic coordinators, quite a few academic graduate assistants, and a number of academic specialists. All of these members of their team are available every day to help assist the college athletes in all of their programs. Mr. Davis was also excited to share with me the fact that the team's GPA is the highest it has ever been and they have consistently been reaching Coach Ball's goal of a 3.0 GPA.

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4. I know you are new to working with the NAU football program, but have you noticed any big improvements to the program during your time on staff?

The biggest improvement that he has seen was a 47-million-dollar athletic facility that was put in during the month of February. On top of this, NAU is working on putting in new lights in the Sky Dome. Lastly, the program also got a great new set of turf a couple years ago to play on during their games. He said that the program also brought on a new strength coach, which has already led to players of the football team to show noticeable improvements in the weight room.

5. What key traits stand out in players on your team? What leadership styles in players have you noticed to be the most effective?

He said what he looks for in his own players is demonstrating each and every letter of the program's motto “CHOP” that he had brought up before. He then went on to speak about how NAU looks for some things beyond the motto in recruits. He wants to see recruits demonstrate mental and physical strength. They also want to make sure that the players are smart and not necessarily only in the classroom. And lastly, they also need to be talented. The team also has a 15 player leadership council that was voted in by the team. This council meets once a week to discuss ways in which to improve their leadership skills on and off the field. Furthermore, Mr. Davis's idea of a leader is productive and leads by example and does not necessarily need to be a star.

6. What advice do you have for high school athletes trying to play at a collegiate level?

Mr. Davis stressed that college coaches want to see recruits in person. The camps that NAU sets up are early opportunities for their staff members to notice young football talent. He says to use social media to create a brand, but to try and stay away from generic copy and paste DM's sent to coaches. He says if you're really interested in a school it is super important to set up an unofficial visit and to continue to visit as to show that you're interested.

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7. What is the number one thing that makes players stand out to you in the recruiting process? What things make players seem less attractive for your program?

He said prospective college athletes definitely need to stay away from the generic messages sent to coaches and staff members. He says personalized messages stand out and will make him more inclined to invest time into showing that athlete around campus. He also said that it is important to be present during any visits to campus. He notices many athletes tend to leave their earbuds in, which he finds to be disrespectful. Most importantly, try to stand out while still being true to yourself.

After talking with Mr. Davis it is clear to me that the NAU program always has the players' needs first. NAU specifically takes their time in the recruiting process so that they can create a family in the locker room. Stand out by being yourself, present, and willing to work hard.

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* Originally published on October 21, 2022, by Royce Linder