Former Highland star prepares to contribute as freshman at Greenville University
During the past two years, Logan Chandler established himself as the bell-cow running back for the Highland Bulldogs football team.
Chandler, a 2021 HHS graduate, finished his Bulldogs career off in dominant fashion this past spring with 13 rushing touchdowns and 772 yards on 106 carries.
Next up, the 6-foot, 220-pound physical and elusive Chandler will take his talents and his books to Division III Greenville University in Greenville for the next chapter of his academic and football life.
Chandler signed with the Panthers in mid-May after a campus visit in late April as GU won out over interest from Lindenwood University and Western Illinois University.
“I was going to make a trip up to Western (Illinois) in the spring, and Greenville had already shown how much they really wanted me so that’s what kind of got me in there,” Chandler said. “When I went to Greenville they really showed that they cared for me and genuinely wanted me not just for my skill but they showed how much they wanted me (as a person), and I love the setup of their program. Their program is really nice and I really like everything about it.”
Another plus is Greenville’s offensive style mirrors what Chandler has played in at Highland the past two years.
“From what I had seen of them and saw on their game film and highlights and what their coaches have told me, they are a run-heavy team. I’m a tailback and their offense is very similar to Highland’s offense, so I don’t think I would have any problems fitting in,” Chandler said.
Since finishing the spring season in helping HHS go 3-3, Chandler has been busy working this summer and also conducting summer workouts in preparation for his freshman season at Greenville.
Chandler has been working out up to four days a week doing a mix of weight lifting, distance running, and sprints.
“Usually I’ll do a mile or two, depending on how my day was before, and these past couple of weeks, I have been doing sprints,” Chandler said.
In June, Chandler got to get a small taste and feel for what fall practices will be like with the Panthers when he worked out at the Greenville University football camp for select Class of 2021, 2022, and 2023 players.
The camp gave Chandler a good opportunity to connect a bit with his soon-to-be new coaches and teammates.
“At the beginning of the summer I did get to go to one camp and it was for the Class of ‘22 and ‘23, but they invited the Class of ‘21 coming in as freshmen,” Chandler said. “I met a couple of my soon-to-be teammates and a couple of my soon-to-be freshman teammates. They sent me out with my running backs coach so I could get a feel for the drills that I’ll be doing (this fall) and what kind of running style he likes to run, which is very similar to mine.”
Ready for the next step in his career
Chandler now looks forward to learning and improving on and off the field as he begins his journey at Greenville.
“My biggest goal (for this year) is to improve myself in every area and aspect of the game and in education — everything,” Chandler said. “I know my mind will be racing back and forth every which way and I’ll be playing a whole different football game than in high school because it’s a lot faster and a lot stronger (at this level).
“Education-wise my major goal is to see improvement from when I start to when I finish.”
This story was originally published August 5, 2021 at 10:37 AM.