Philly’s Tyreek Chappell overcame an injury to reach the College Football Playoff with Texas A&M

Before the 2024 football season began, defensive back Tyreek Chappell was expecting it to be his final year with Texas A&M. But just two games into that season, he suffered a noncontact ACL injury during practice that ended his season prematurely.

Chappell, a Northeast High graduate who has played football since he was 4 years old, said the “process was long” to get back on the field for the 2025 season.

“The players that were here, coaches that were here, kind of helped me to come back [to] football, because I was kind of losing it,” Chappell told The Inquirer. “Obviously, just me being hurt and I was supposed to leave that year.”

The fifth-year senior has made up for lost time and has done so at a new position. After playing outside cornerback in his first three seasons in College Station, he transitioned to nickel corner in 2024, when Penn alum Mike Elko returned to Texas A&M to be the head coach after coaching at Duke for two years. Chappell remained at the spot in 2025, and has yielded just one touchdown across 333 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.

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There has been a lot of change since Chappell arrived on campus. He was recruited under Jimbo Fisher’s staff, which included Elko at defensive coordinator and Camden’s Elijah Robinson as defensive line coach, both of whom recruited the Philly native. When Fisher was fired before the end of the 2023 season, Robinson took over as interim coach, then left for Syracuse at the end of that season.

Through all of the changes, though, Chappell says he never wavered in his commitment to Texas A&M.

“After I had got relationships with other coaches, it really wasn’t just about like, ‘Who [is leaving], who [is staying],’ for real, I was just all about A&M at that point,” Chappell said. “The coaches treated me well here ever since I came [here]. … It was pretty much me loving A&M.”

When Chappell arrived at Texas A&M in the spring of 2021, former NFL defensive back Antonio Cromartie joined the program as a graduate assistant. Cromartie, who collected 31 career interceptions in 11 seasons with the Chargers, Colts, Cardinals, and Jets, quickly built a relationship with Chappell, since the former NFL player was working with defensive backs.

Cromartie says he was drawn to coaching because he wanted to “give back what I’ve learned from all the coaches that I’ve learned from.” His coach at Florida State, Bobby Bowden, was big on relationships, and Cromartie says that was “something that I wanted to build on.”

“Those two years of me being around them and just being able to coach them and pour into them, you get to see a different side of kids,” Cromartie said. “Get to have a kid come and talk to you, tell you what’s going on. A lot of that time, Tyreek lost friends and family members back at home in Philly, so just being able for somebody he can lean on, to talk to and express himself when he needed to was big, too. … It’s just like having a big brother that can help you along the way and guide you and make sure that you’re doing the things that you need to do, not only just the football, but off the field, too.”

When Chappell was a freshman, Cromartie immediately recognized his work ethic. At the time, being thrown into the fire as a rookie was a necessity because of injuries in the Aggies’ secondary, and he responded with 41 tackles, one interception, and nine passes defended in 12 starts.

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Though Cromartie spent only two years on the coaching staff at Texas A&M, he believes if Chappell had stayed healthy last year, he would have been “one of the better corners in the SEC just from a technique standpoint.” The former coach also supports Chappell’s position switch to nickel.

“It shows that you can play inside, you can play outside,” Cromartie said. “It just shows how versatile you are, and that’s something that’s very valuable in the NFL. And I think you just see growth and maturity from him, and understanding his role. And I think that’s what makes him who he is.”

On Saturday, Chappell will get to play on his biggest stage yet when Texas A&M hosts Miami in the first round of the College Football Playoff (noon, 6abc, ESPN).

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime moment,” Chappell said. “A lot of people don’t get a chance to make playoffs. So this really is big for everybody.”

Cromartie will be watching his former player try to slow down Miami’s aerial attack.

It could be Chappell’s final game in college, but Cromartie believes the Texas A&M defensive back has shown the skill set and dependability to be an impact player at the NFL level.

“Somebody that’s consistent, that understands what’s been asked of them, that understands what he needs to try to do. I think that is what’s going to make him an even better defensive back once he gets in the NFL,” Cromartie said. “You can look at him and say, ‘OK, I know what I’m getting out of him every single week, every single down, because of the way he practices and the way he plays.’ … He makes plays that he should make, and he does everything that’s asked of him.”