“The strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.”
This quote from Rudyard Kipling’s “The Jungle Book” is a well-known adage in and around NC State, especially in athletics. But perhaps no one player exemplifies its message better than graduate offensive guard Chandler Zavala.
It’s difficult to convey the degree of hardship that Zavala endured these past several months. Between recovering from a back injury that ended his 2021 season and battling with the NCAA for one more year of eligibility, Zavala also nearly lost his father Demitrio, who underwent emergency surgery right before the Wolfpack traveled to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl. It was the first of three surgeries that Demitrio Zavala would undergo.
“Before I went to California for the bowl game, I actually almost lost my father,” Zavala said. “He had emergency surgery; it was a seven-hour procedure and he was dead on the table for 10 minutes. He had to have surgery that day, also in mid-February and then his last surgery was the first week of April.”
Zavala continued by describing the importance of his support network in helping him through such a difficult period of his life.
“It was a really hard time,” Zavala said. “If I didn’t have the coaches, that woman over there [associate athletic director] Miss Annabelle [Myers], [head] coach [Dave Doeren], it would have been a very hard time.”
Zavala’s father also played an integral role in his development as a player. Demitrio Zavala is a chef and a two-time Chopped champion, so when Chandler started playing football in his senior year of high school, Demitrio was primed to help his son bulk up.
Before he was a stalwart of the Wolfpack O-line, before he started playing college football at Division II Fairmont State, Chandler Zavala did not have a football background. Growing up, he preferred playing soccer and basketball despite clocking in at roughly 6-foot-2, 240 pounds around his sophomore and junior years of high school.
Zavala picked up football as a high school senior after his paternal grandmother and maternal grandfather, both die-hard Miami Dolphins fans, passed away. After starting out as a tight end, Zavala’s coach at Forest Park High School had him put on some muscle to slide in at right tackle.
During his freshman year at Fairmont State, Zavala’s dad prescribed him a diet of five meals and three snacks every day. While putting on weight was the overall goal, he utilized his knowledge as a trained chef to guide his son over the phone about what to eat (and what not to eat) as well as how much. That dietary training has paid off for Zavala, who now towers at 6-foot-5, 325 pounds.
“I’m just maintaining now,” Zavala said. “I’ll probably just eat four times a day, and just some little snacks here and there.”
Going into his final year with the Wolfpack, Zavala is set to play a key role in NC State’s offense. Oftentimes football games are won and lost in the trenches, and Zavala’s soccer and basketball background helps him use his strength and frame to hold pass rushers at bay as well as clear paths in the running game.
“I’d say Chandler is probably the strongest O-lineman we’ve got,” said junior running back Jordan Houston. “He’s freakishly strong.”
Houston’s praise carries even more weight when considering Zavala’s company on the offensive line. It’s tempting to think that Zavala is the lone standout with offensive tackle Ikem Ekwonu now with the Carolina Panthers, but in reality he is one of many.
Graduate center Grant Gibson is entering his third season as a team captain and was named to the preseason watchlist for the Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the nation’s top center. Redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Anthony Belton, dubbed “Escalade” by strength and conditioning coach Dantonio Burnette for his combination of size and quickness, is the frontrunner to start at left tackle. With Zavala also among those set to line up for the Wolfpack offense this season, NC State is primed to wreak havoc in the trenches.
Zavala entered fall camp with a renewed appreciation for the opportunities before him. He spent months going back and forth with the NCAA, not knowing if he’d play college football again. He went through months of rehabbing his back to return to playing shape. He nearly lost his father. After coming so close to losing so much, Zavala also cites his faith as something he’s been able to lean on throughout this process.
“I cherish every day I go in,” Zavala said. “I always get emotional; through this whole process I’ve been getting closer with God. Every time I go onto the field I also pray and every time I come off, I pray.”
Through several strenuous situations on and off the gridiron, Zavala’s fortitude has been bolstered by his family, faith, coaches and teammates. Now, he’s prepared to anchor the Pack’s offensive line this fall.
