From Walk-On to Captain

A STORY OF PERSEVERANCE AND LEADERSHIP

By Austin Bradley, CSU Athletic Communications / Photos by Jim Killian

Nick Salley, Garris Schwarting, Ethan Ray, and Justin McIntire arrived at Charleston Southern University with the odds stacked against them. Instead of taking advantage of a scholarship offer from another school or hanging up their cleats, these student-athletes took a chance on themselves and their athletic abilities.

The walk-on journey is not a desirable one because there is never a guarantee that a student-athlete will earn a scholarship – they have to go to practice and prove they belong every day with hopes the coaching staff will notice and elevate their role on the team.

For these four players, their abilities were apparent early on when Head Coach Autry Denson and the current CSU coaching staff took over the helm of the Buccaneers’ football program in January 2019.

Garris Schwarting

“Right away what we saw in them (Nick,

Garris, Ethan, and Justin) was the ability to lead, and more importantly, the willingness to want to be led,” Denson said. “They didn’t know us from Adam, but they accepted the different things we brought in and the culture we were trying to establish. They embraced our championship habits, our standards and excelled in their ability to apply it. They had what we like to call blind faith.”

Denson recalled an exercise he utilized to get to know the players a little better. Early on, he asked the team if they had to make one phone call to anyone on the team about a life problem, who they would reach out to.

It was unanimous that it would be one of the current 2020 six captains: Nick Salley,

Garris Schwarting, Justin McIntire, Ethan

Ray, Jack Chambers, or Geoffrey Wall.

For a former walk-on to earn the recognition of his peers is an incredible accomplishment and speaks to the leadership and intangibles each of these players brings to the team.

“As coaches, we look for guys who naturally or intentionally exhibit those Buccaneer championship habits, which is putting the team before yourself, being unified and understanding the bigger picture,” Denson said.

“We are an outreach ministry that has an important football component. It’s important because we use athletics as a platform on which we influence and win lives for Christ.”

He said, “Obtaining the title as a captain of the CSU football ministry means you must live the standards day in and day out which are: Give a God-honoring effort with a Godhonoring attitude. Understanding that we’re champions in Christ so we’re required to do more. They understand that it’s all about being significant - the more they do, the more they can be a blessing to others. Tying all of that together is our pillars which are Faith,

Family, and Football and never allowing that order to be distorted for anything.”

Long Snapper – The Unsung Hero

For Ethan Ray, the journey to CSU started in Boiling Springs, where he watched his cousin, Matthew Broome, long snap at Coastal Carolina. He grew a love for the position from his interactions with his cousin that continues to this day.

Ray earned both conference and national recognition over the last two seasons as an All-American and a two-time All-Conference selection, as well as leading the Bucs’ special teams in punts downed. However, when he first came on campus as a freshman, Ray was behind another All-American on the depth chart with no guarantees of playing early.

Joseph Smith was an established long snapper and followed up an All-American season after being recognized by the STATS FCS organization in 2016. He was also a key part in helping CSU earn its first outright Big South Conference championship and the ensuing FCS Playoff bid.

Smith took Ray under his wing, working with him on the ins and outs of CSU football and helped polish his craft early during his time with the Bucs.

This is something Assistant A.D. for Football/Baseball Operations and Special Teams Coordinator David Padilla demands from his older players. He said that he “mentors the mentors” and allows his older players to bring along the younger guys in their own ways.

“One of the expectations of Joseph Smith was to mentor and train Ethan Ray when he first came in,” Padilla said. “It wasn’t something that was suggested. It’s part of what we do in our specialist unit; every person is assigned to somebody else when they come in new, and their job is to mentor them through every aspect of what’s in our room, not just football.”

Ray credits Smith for his early development.

“He taught me how to adapt to be a college athlete and how to manage my time wisely,” Ray said. “Joe went really hard in the weight room, and I always wanted to keep up with him while I was a young guy.”

Another player who played a monumental role in the development of Ray was punter/ holder Kyle Reighard. The long snapper – punter and long snapper – holder exchanges are arguably the most important in football. The fact the two had such good chemistry made the operation time of the two units elite.

“The dynamic between the two was orchestrated by God because in all my other captains you didn’t have the combination you have with Ethan and Kyle when they were players,” Padilla said. “Kyle was the punter, and Ethan was the long snapper. There is no greater relationship on a football field between anybody other than your long snapper and your punter. In the punting game, the ball travels the longest on any snap which means it has to be fast, accurate, and concise. So, that relationship alone creates that dynamic.”

Long snappers don’t usually hear the phrase ‘hey man, good snap’ often. Their job is basically to be unnoticed on the football field.

However, it has not been the case for Ray as he became the first Buccaneer in program history to earn National Special Teams Player of the Week honors by the STATS FCS organization after recovering two fumbles against Gardner-Webb. Games like that led to Ray being a member of the 2019 Phil Steele First Team AllBig South long snapper and 2019 Phil Steele Third Team All-American long snapper.

A huge reason why Ray fits the role of a captain is because of his selflessness and his willingness to put the team before himself.

“The accolades are nice, but I really just want to win football games. I just want to go out and win, that’s what my goal is.”

Earning and maintaining the trust of teammates and coaches may be added pressure for some players. Ray took the responsibility head-on and showed why he was named a captain. “I’m a pretty vocal sideline guy as it is,” Ray admitted. “I bring a calming sense to the sideline because it gets hectic.”

Padilla said, “I’ve known Ethan for a little over eight years now, since he was a sophomore at high school and came to one of our camps. Seeing the growth he’s made and the consistency he’s maintained over the years brings me a sense of pride as his coach.”

Continuing the Defensive Line Legacy

Since Nick Salley’s early days at Colleton County High School, he’s had the heart of a lion. Salley was a relatively undersized 165-pound linebacker/edge rusher at Colleton County, but he was effective for the Cougars, accounting for 83 tackles and forcing four turnovers as a senior.

“I was always smaller than the dudes who were in front of me, but I seem to always be more technical than everybody else,” Salley said. “They had the size, but they weren’t completing the assignments the way that coach wanted them done.”

As an undersized walk-on to CSU, Salley knew his work ethic could never be in question. He learned quickly to take pride in everything he did because he understood he was under constant evaluation from the coaching staff. His success is directly correlated to the underdog mentality he still carries to this day.

Defensive Line Coach Jason Brooks noticed this mentality and work ethic from Salley when he stepped on campus in January 2019.

“He still carries that chip on his shoulder,” Brooks said. “He still practices and works in the weight room and still carries himself like a walk-on trying to earn a spot for the first time. I’ve never seen him get complacent, take it easy, or back off over my two years of being here.”

Salley, a protégé to one of the best defensive edge-rushing tandems in Big South football history, Anthony Ellis and Solomon Brown, picked up on small details from both of their games to help improve his own.

He focused on the technical side in patterning his pass rush moves from Ellis, a twotime Big South Defensive Player of the Year. He took the leadership aspect from Brown, a four-time All-Conference selection, and was challenged to focus on the little things like hustling to the ball and doing everything full speed all the time.

“He (Brown) would always harp on the small things,” Salley said. “He was another technician who would always dot his I’s and cross his T’s when it came to technique.”

Salley said, “I was right behind him, and I went in when he needed to come off. He wasn’t really used to that; he was used to always being in the game all the time.”

Salley was constantly adding to his bag of pass rush moves by watching these guys, and he credits his success to learning from a variety of players across the field. It helped add to his versatility and made him an asset to the defense in his early CSU career by being able to take quality, meaningful game reps.

Part of earning a coaches’ trust and earning more game reps includes showing a pattern of working hard every day, taking care of business in the classroom and taking initiative in the film room. Defensive Coordinator/ Linebackers Coach Zane Vance witnessed very early on how Salley was excelling in all three areas daily.

“Nick is incredibly mature,” Vance said. “You don’t get a bunch of emotional highs and lows and silliness from him. He’s where he’s supposed to be, and he’s another guy that stays off of the negative lists.”

While his athletic ability has garnered him accolades off the field by way of All-American and All-Conference recognition, his leadership ability off the field has also been rec-

Ethan Ray

Justin McIntire

ognized by both his peers and the coaching staff. In Salley’s case, he finds his leadership ability comes from voicing the thoughts of his teammates to the coaches and vice versa and providing a clear conduit of communication to both parties.

“It’s not as easy as everybody thinks it is,” Salley said. “Being a captain is having to represent every teammate the right way; you have to present things to administration or the coaches in an articulate way.”

Denson said, “He has the courage to always be the one to speak up when no one else is willing to jump on that sword. He also has worked to have those tough conversations with us on behalf of his teammates.”

As a former walk-on, Salley feels he would be doing a disservice to his younger walk-on teammates if he allows them to just get by. Getting by isn’t winning football and more importantly getting by won’t get them a scholarship.

As Salley continues to develop into a stronger leader, his main focus is representing each one of his teammates in the right way and continuing to be a strong voice for and to his teammates.

From Cali to Charleston

There aren’t a lot of guys who have had their faith and love for the game tested like Justin McIntire. Prior to his senior year at East Jessamine High School, McIntire suffered a catastrophic leg injury which left him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

At the time, even though McIntire was optimistic about his return, the doctors felt otherwise. One of the doctors looked the then-17-year-old in the eyes and said that his football career was over and that he would be lucky if he could walk the same after surgery.

McIntire faced a career-defining choice: either listen to the doctors or battle his way through the recovery process to get back onto the field. The injury also left him with

the unfortunate reality that he was not going to have a scholarship offer waiting for him when he came back.

Because of his love of the game, McIntire took a chance on himself and moved across the country to East Los Angeles College where he lined up under Head Coach Bobby Godine.

McIntire reflected on some of the hardships he faced while pursuing his love of the game. “Rent was $2,000 a month, so it wasn’t uncommon for me and seven teammates to split the rent of a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with $200 worth of EBT a month,” McIntire said. “At one point we had up to 15 guys living in that apartment. It taught me a number of things about myself and how to stay focused on the positives and move forward.”

Coming off of the leg injury and dealing with the housing and food situations at East Los Angeles, McIntire realized that he couldn’t let the bad times define him; he was in control of his own destiny.

This time “taught me how strong I am,” McIntire said. “Mentally, I feel like I’m stronger than most people, and I can utilize that to my advantage throughout life.”

The decision to walk-on at CSU came about because of this internal confidence. McIntire started out as mostly a special teams player and a rotation player in his first season with the Bucs, but his drive and work ethic led to early success.

Vance realized McIntire was the real deal and would be an impact player for the Buccaneers in the 2018 season when he witnessed McIntire’s first interception against GardnerWebb to ice the game away.

“When McIntire first came on campus, I didn’t know him from Adam’s house cat,” Vance laughed. “However, he made a beautiful drop on a perimeter route against the Runnin’ Bulldogs and stepped in front of a pass and intercepted it to pretty much end the game and solidify a shut out for us. That kind of put him on everybody’s radar.”

McIntire went on to earn conference recognition as the Special Teams Player of the Week in CSU’s 12-7 win over Campbell after blocking and recovering a punt against the Camels. As a linebacker he added 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception in his first season.

In 2019, McIntire’s game continued to develop as he became known as one of the Bucs’ top ball-hawks. McIntire led CSU with three fumble recoveries and added two interceptions in his junior season, while starting all 12 games.

His success on the field and the leadership mentality he brings to the team shines through when he talks about the competition and teaching aspects that happen on the field and in the meeting rooms. Although teammates are often competing against each other for the same position and often the same playing time, McIntire has learned that you also need to be willing to help one another become the best players you can be for the good of the team.

“When I first came in, a former teammate of mine Craig Johnson sat me down and taught me everything about the playbook,” McIntire laughed. “When I came off the field, he would pull me aside and tell me what I need to improve on and what I need to do better.”

McIntire said, “Even though we were competing against each other for playing time, he would kind of be like an additional coach and that really helped me. It set the example of what a real leader should be.”

McIntire’s story isn’t over until he says it is, and he strives to be a leader through his hard work and his willingness to interact with the other players, while providing a standard of excellence across the board.

“Nobody outworks J-Mac,” Denson said. “His work ethic speaks for itself. He’s the standard other guys look to and try to match.”

Quiet Storm – the Rise of #SchwartingTime

The soft-spoken Garris Schwarting certainly has a big personality when he steps between the white lines of the football field. Known as a “lunch pail guy” by Denson, Schwarting comes across as a player who never wants the credit and always leads by his actions instead of his words.

Coming from small-town Bamberg, Schwarting had the odds stacked against him early in his career at CSU because: 1) he was a walk-on wide receiver and 2) he came from a run-heavy Bamberg-Ehrhardt team. For those reasons he had early difficulties in learning the ins and outs of the position when he first arrived at CSU.

Even coming from a small town, Schwarting never thought playing Division I football was impossible because he saw both his brother Tav Schwarting (Presbyterian College, 2014-15) and his brother’s best friend K.C. Crosby (University of South Carolina, 201418) go on to line up at the highest level.

Having those guys as role models and also seeing other student-athletes from his class go on to play in college assured Schwarting that it doesn’t matter where you’re from, talent and work ethic will be recognized.

As a freshman, Schwarting knew he would have to work twice as hard just to be noticed as a walk-on. One thing he always takes pride in is his knowledge of the little nuances he utilizes to get open.

His knowledge was never more evident than this past season when he led the Buccaneers in total receiving yards (575) and added his first two collegiate 100-yard games. He also posted a career-high 39 catches and four touchdowns. His ability to get open was especially appreciated by Wide Receivers Coach Antwan Toomer.

“My favorite quality about Garris is he’s so unorthodox especially when getting open that it works,” Toomer said. “You can put that kid in any type of offense or any kind of system and that kid is going to thrive.”

With the loss of Kameron Brown (Finished 22nd in the FCS in receiving touchdowns: 10), Schwarting will be the primary target this coming season. However, that’s not his primary concern. His main focus will be to continue to lead by example in working hard every day to become a better player.

The inevitable mindset of a walk-on is that you always have to be willing to do what the team needs of you. This was the case last year when Schwarting (who never returned a punt before in his career) was thrust into the punt return role against The Citadel. He ended up recording a 54-yard return his first return and finished third in the Big South in punt return average (12.5) in 2019.

“You have to know that this is what you want to do, and it’s going to take time because confidence is key especially as a walkon,” Schwarting said. “It’s important because you know the scholarship guy is going to get the opportunities, so you have to trust that when you get the opportunity you’ll make the best of it”

Being a walk-on can make one’s confidence fluctuate. You can’t necessarily depend on anyone telling you to keep your head up after a bad day. In his role of captain, Schwarting looks to be more vocal to the entire team, and as a player, he wants to continue to be the guy the Bucs can go to at any moment for a catch.

Nick Salley

Buccaneer Men

As a walk-on, your position on the football team is never set in stone. You cannot become complacent, and there needs to be an internal drive to not only better yourself but also better the team and everyone around you.

Vance said, “If you can live without football, you probably shouldn’t be a walk-on because great walk-ons can’t imagine getting up on a day and not be attached to the football program. All four of these players kept the same mindset and grit they arrived on campus with to this day and are currently reaping the benefits from it.”

For Ray, Salley, McIntire, and Schwarting, their desire as former walk-ons led to them earning the trust of their coaches and peers.

Earning trust from one human being is hard enough as it is. Imagine trying to earn the trust of 125 of your peers and 17 of your elders. The only way to earn trust is to show that you can do the right thing on a consistent basis. These four student-athletes did that and plenty more to not only earn a scholarship but also be seen by their teammates and coaches as captains and leaders of the CSU Football Ministry.

Coach Denson outlines clear criteria in what it means to be a captain when he described the characteristics of what it means to be a Buccaneer man.

“A Buccaneer Man is someone who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, leads courageously, and expects God’s reward,” he said. “The responsibilities of a Buccaneer man are he has a will to obey which has been outlined in the Bible through scripture; he has a work to do at home, on campus and in the community, and one day God’s going to bless him with a wife to love. These studentathletes exceed these standards consistently and that’s what went into the decision of choosing them as captains.”

During these trying times, captains have one of the hardest jobs of all which is holding their teammates accountable for helping stop the spread of the coronavirus and helping fight racism in the community. The team took on the mantra We Choose Love, and each one of the captains has made a commitment to be the biggest advocate for it.

All four of these players came to this campus without a guarantee but had confidence in themselves to show why they deserved a chance to positively contribute to the team. Now that they have established themselves on the field, they focus on upholding their commitment to being model student-athletes, community leaders, and advocates for their teammates on a daily basis.

Austin Bradley is a graduate student at Hampton University and is an intern with CSU Athletic Communications this fall.