Biography
2019 (Senior)
Earned All-MEAC honors for the third straight year and first-team All-MEAC accolades for the second year in a row … Started all 12 games … Finished his senior year with a career-high 107 total tackles, second-most in the conference … Also recorded 9.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, three pass breakups and four QB hurries … Ranked 16th in the MEAC in tackles for loss and 37th nationally in tackles per game (8.9) … Notched at least 10 tackles in a game on eight occasions … Opened the season with six tackles, one for loss, at Old Dominion … Tallied 11 tackles, one for loss, and forced a fumble at Coastal Carolina … Made 10 tackles with half a hit for lost yards in each of the next two games, at No. 8 Montana State and vs. Florida A&M … Made 10 stops with 1.5 for loss and half a sack at Howard, starting a string of four straight games in which he hit double figures in tackles … Had a season-high 12 tackles, one sack, one pass breakup and two QB hurries at Bethune-Cookman … Matched his season high with another 12 tackles the next week against Morgan State, helping NSU secure its first shutout win since 2012 … Also had 1.5 TFLs and a pass breakup against MSU … Made 10 tackles in the win at N.C. Central … Made his final game of the year a memorable one with 11 tackles, a season-high 2.5 for loss, and one sack against S.C. State.
2018 (Junior)
Played in all 11 games and started 10 at outside linebacker … Started all but the Delaware State game … A first-team All-MEAC and VaSID All-State performer … Named the team’s Defensive MVP … Was second on the team with 71 total tackles and 12th in the MEAC with 6.5 tackles per game … Led NSU with 5.5 sacks (fourth in MEAC) and 13.0 tackles for loss (tied for fifth) … Also credited with a team-high eight quarterback hurries, recovered two fumbles and forced two others … Tallied eight tackles with one fumble recovery and one QB hurry against Virginia State … Had five solo tackles at S.C. State … Returned a fumble 23 yards for a score against Delaware State … Posted eight tackles, 1.5 for loss, with one sack and a pass breakup at Florida A&M … The following week, was in on nine tackles, 1.5 for loss, with two pass breakups and two QB pressures against N.C. Central … Recorded a career-high 3.5 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks, among his nine tackles against Savannah State … Had three more tackles behind the line and four tackles total at N.C. A&T … Matched his season high with two more nine-tackle games in the final two MEAC games of the year, vs. Howard and Morgan State … Against Howard, also made 2.5 tackles for loss while adding one sack, one forced fumble and a season-best three quarterback hurries … Against Morgan State, had half a sack and also forced another fumble.
2017 (Sophomore)
Started all 11 games at defensive end … Earned third-team All-MEAC honors … Was third on NSU and ninth in the MEAC with 82 total tackles (most by a MEAC defensive lineman) … Forced three fumbles, tied for the fourth-most in the conference … Ranked 13th in the MEAC with 5.0 sacks and 20th with 8.5 tackles for loss … Recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown in the season-opener against Virginia State, when he also made six tackles (one for loss) … Intercepted one pass and also broke up another pass at Delaware State … Recorded double digits in tackles in three straight games after that contest … Tied a career-high with 12 tackles, two for loss, to go with one sack, two forced fumbles and one quarterback hurry in the win over Florida A&M … Also posted 10 tackles against both Hampton and N.C. Central … Had another sack and forced fumble in the win at NCCU … Recorded six tackles, one sack and a blocked extra point against Savannah State … Made eight tackles and two sacks at Howard … Finished the season with 11 tackles (nine solo) at Morgan State.
2016 (Freshman)
Played in all 11 games and started nine times in his redshirt freshman season … Started the season-opener at outside linebacker … After not starting the next two contests, Chavis started the final eight games at one of NSU’s two defensive end positions … Finished the year with 55 total tackles, fifth-most on the team and most among linemen … 52 of those came after the position switch … Also finished the year with 6.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, one interception, five QB hurries and two pass breakups … Made six tackles with half a tackle for loss against N.C. Central … A week later, made seven tackles and half a sack against Howard … Had his best game of the year against Bethune-Cookman, registering career highs with 12 total tackles and three tackles for loss while also recording one sack and his first career interception … Earned FCS National Rookie of the Week honorable mention for his performance against B-CU … Also made eight tackles against Morgan State and seven in the win at S.C. State, registering one pass breakup in each game … Recorded two tackles for loss among his four total stops at Savannah State.
2015 (Redshirt)
Redshirted the season.
High School
Second-team All-Metro as a senior … Was a first-team All-Conference 26 pick at both running back and defensive end … tallied 66 tackles, 13 sacks and five forced fumbles on defense … Also ran for 808 yards and 10 touchdowns at running back … Coached by Kedrick Moody.
Personal
Nigel A. Chavis was born on Jan. 10, 1997 … Son of Patricia Chavis … Majoring in business management.
Chavis’ Career Highs
Tackles: 12 (4x, last vs. Morgan State, 11-2-19)
TFL: 3.5 (at Savannah State, 10-27-18)
Sacks: 2.0 (2x, last at Savannah State, 10-27-18)
INT: 1 (2x, last at Delaware State, 9-23-17)
PBU: 2 (vs. N.C. Central, 10-20-18)
FF: 2 (vs. Florida A&M, 10-7-17)
FR: 1 (3x, last vs. Delaware State, 9-29-18)
