RAPID CITY, S.D. --- South Dakota Mines linebacker/down lineman Gavin Chaddock has a motor that runs on high, which comes in handy trying to chase down opposing quarterbacks.

Defensive coordinator Vance Winter said Chaddock is a high-wire act who plays with high energy.

It all adds up to a mindset that has enabled the Hardrocker senior to receive conference and national accolades as he heads into the 2022 season for Mines.

"I'm always trying to get in there (to the quarterback), I'm always trying to go 110 percent, just flying as fast as I can go until I can't do it anymore," Chaddock said Monday after the Hardrockers finished up a nearly three-hour pre-season practice at O'Harra Stadium. "If I do my job right, I trust that my teammates will get their job done, and maybe I make the play. I'm not worried about getting the stats, but you need to be relentless."

Chaddock was a first team All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference linebacker last season for Mines, which finished 4-5 in league play and 6-5 overall. Earlier this summer he was named nationally to the CFB Network Preseason Third Team at linebacker, as well as preseason first team for the RMAC CFB Network team.

"It's a great thing to get all of those accolades and stuff like that, but I'm more focused on the team and just trying to get better every day," Chaddock said. "It's nice when you play well and get those accolades, but I'm more about winning as a team. It doesn't mean as much to me if I get that stuff and we don't win games."

The 6-foot-2, 247-pound Chaddock is one of the more versatile players on the Hardrocker defense, as he lines up at linebacker as well as on the defensive line.

"I'm usually playing in our base defense as a five-technique D-lineman. They have my hand on the ground," he said. "But we run a lot of multiple style defenses; a lot of 4-1 stuff, 3-4, over and under stuff. I'll be an overhang linebacker in a lot of theses, which is nice, and then battle linemen all day. I can go pass rush, I can cover somebody. It is a nice mix-up for me."

Chaddock has been able to move down because of his ability to rush the quarterback and out of necessity. It allows the Mines defense to run different schemes and have multiple formations with how the players can play.
Winter calls Chaddock their most natural edge pass rusher.

"We started focusing on him to do some of that and he also is good in coverage as well," Winter said. "He's a versatile, talented guy. We are excited about how he looks going into his senior year."

Coming to South Dakota Mines

Chaddock calls it night and day since he first came to Mines from Peoria, Ariz., as a freshman. He started his career injured, so it put him in a bit of a bad mindset, but it also made him work harder. That mindset turned positive as he got on the field first as a special teams player, then as a starter on defense. He started 11 games his sophomore season (54 tackles, 3.5 sacks) and all four games during the Covid season of 2020 and 11 games again in 2021.

Last season he finished with 39 tackles (25 solo, 11.5 tackles for loss) and tied Kyante Christian with 7.5 quarterback sacks. He also had one pass interception, one fumble recovery and two forced fumbles. For his career, he has 110 tackles (58 solo), including 13 sacks.

"I have just been trying to build on the skills that I have, more on the D-line stuff, being more focused on that than when I was just a linebacker," he said. "It's just getting more physical and getting stronger. That has helped me grow and improve my game. Being able to be faster and stronger, it just helps taking on blocks."

Although the physical aspect of the game is right up his alley, Chaddock said that was also a learning experience. He first arrived at Rapid City at about 215 pounds, and he now plays at about 245.

"In high school a lot of these guys, myself too, were probably the best guy on their team, or one of the better guys. It's kind of easy. You didn't have to put in a lot of film study, you didn't have to work that hard to be that good," he said. "But here, you have to put in the film time, you have to put in more time in the weight room, just grinding, along with school. That is a big jump from high school, too. You really have to bite down on your mouthpiece and get ready because it is coming, and you have to be ready for it."

The art of rushing the quarterback



At 6-2, Chaddock is long, has heavy hands and is a violent edge guy who can condense an edge and pocket, according to Winter.

"He gets up to full speed pretty dang quick. That's one of the things that is really noticeable with him on film. He is getting better and better with pass-rush moves," he said. "Right away it was all kind of effort-based and chase-based. Now he is getting to the point where he is starting to work more moves and do some things. Coach Bo (Montgomery) has worked with him and has done a great job of getting more and more things going."

Chaddock said it is pretty simple for him to rush the quarterback. Much of it just comes from being relentless. He said his desire to get to the quarterback, to make the play, comes from being hungry to get better.

He also said that a lot of rushing the passer also comes from knowing the plays and knowing the blocking schemes, something he said he really didn't know much about in high school.

"You know where he is going to be and you can go deliver a blow. It's also about film study, but as you get older, it is about play rec (recognition)," he said.

Winter said that Chaddock is a very high energy, high effort, max-effort type of player that they look for. He said he can make plays all over the field and that is a fun thing when fans watch them play, to watch him run from one sideline to another.
"We have been proud of the growth that we have seen from him since the Covid year and the things that he has done, moving from Will backer to defensive end, to kind of a stand-up now," he said. "He's shown growth and he has been a team-first guy."

Ever since high school, Chaddock said he has always wanted to be the best player on the field.

"Every time I've stepped onto the field I thought I was the best player, so I play like that," he said. "It's a mindset for me. If I'm going to come out here and put in all of this work with all of these guys, I might as well go as hard as I can and try to be the best."

For the love of football

If there's a chance to continue to play football after college, Chaddock would give it a shot. After all, he is a football player who can't seem to slow down.

"I have worked my whole life in football. I have played football since I was a tiny kid," he said. "I think I could get a shot somewhere – I don't know where that is – but I'm pretty open about it. Every time I think about football being over, it doesn't sit well with me, like this is my last year of playing football. I'm going to be pretty sad when that last game comes. Hopefully it is a great season."

In the meantime, Chaddock is looking forward to the season and seeing how far the Hardrockers can go in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. Coming to South Dakota Mines is one of the better decisions he has made in his life, he said.

"At first I didn't really know if liked it because I got hurt and school was tough. But it made me more mentally strong to being able to get through school, football, and the coaching changes," he said. "I've met a lot of great guys, a lot of life-long friends and getting educated."

Like a lot of college football players on defense, Chaddock likes the sport because you can just be violent and get away with it. At the same time, he likes the mental aspect of the game as well.

"I also like that you can scheme things up; you have to be pretty smart and know what is going on. You have to have a high IQ," he said. "There are a lot of aspects that go on in football. It's not simple, it's not just two teams running around, and it is a team sport. It takes all of the guys."

Giving football and life his best



Going "100 percent" doesn't end when Chaddock steps off the football field. That's his mindset for everyday life.

"If you put in 100 percent effort in life, then good things will happen," he said. "If you don't put in any effort, you can't really expect much to be happening."

Chaddock is looking to graduate this spring with a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering. He's ready to graduate and when that happens he will be the first from his family to hold a college degree.

"That is a big accomplishment for me. I think my time here has been awesome, I love it here," he said.

Although he still has his Covid year to play football, that all depends on which direction he takes his life after graduation. It's been a long journey in the classroom as well.

Engineering seemed to be the right fit in college as he has always liked building things or tinkering with things as a kid.

"In high school I took a couple of engineering classes. When I got here it was a lot harder than I thought it would be, but I'm really glad I stuck with it because I have learned a lot about everything, it seems like," he said. "Learning about it makes you want to get more involved in mechanical engineering."

Chaddock isn't sure which direction he will go after graduation as he hasn't found a niche that he likes yet although he said he likes boats, and anything small where you need to design it.

"I don't have a specific idea of where I want to go, but just get my foot in the door and maybe move on from that," he said. "I'll keep things open – just like if I play linebacker or D-line. Whatever I want to go for a job, I just want to keep things open."

In his free time, Chaddock said he likes to fish, play video games or just hang with his girlfriend -- the little things in life that are important.

"I think people overlook the little things and time flies right by," he said. "The little things in life are so important; they mean a lot and they add up over time."

South Dakota Mines opens the season Sept. 1 at Missouri S&T in Rolla, Mo.
 
About South Dakota Mines
The South Dakota School of Mines & Technology is a member of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) and NCAA Division II offering 11 men's and women's varsity intercollegiate athletic programs. The Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference is a premier NCAA Division II conference with 15 members, as well as four associate members, located in the states of California, Colorado, Nebraska, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Utah.