FERRIDAY — The jump from high school to college is an unpredictable journey for some local athletes, but Charles Chandler could have never predicted the twists, turns and breaks Millsaps College would provide.

Going into his redshirt sophomore season, Chandler is hoping to build off of last year’s 10 total tackles collected on special teams and backup duty. His preparation has intensified.

At 10:15 a.m. Monday, the 2012 Ferriday Trojan graduate put his workout bag on a vacant shelfat Vidalia Total Fitness and began his back workout with four sets of eight pull-ups.

No shortcuts were taken. Before his morning back workout, Chandler ran a mile and a half and had plans to workout his chest later that afternoon with teammates in Jackson. Increased weights, more agility workouts and a large intake of peanut butter every night before bed has helped Chandler gain 20 pounds of muscle mass. Packing on weight is crucial for Chandler to successfully switch from defensive end to defensive tackle this season.

“I’ve talked to my coaches about it, and they want to experiment with it,” Chandler said. “The thought process is, ‘what if we could have three great defensive ends on the field at the same time.’”

Chandler is taking the approach, “if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em,” in regards to Millsaps’ starting defensive ends. Zach Bell and Jeff Milner, who have each racked up numerous accolades, including All-Conference and All-American status at the Division III level, have solidified their spots at defensive end.

If Chandler wants to contribute more, he’s going to have to do so alongside them.

Serving as a defensive end and linebacker at Ferriday, defensive tackle is somewhat foreign to Chandler, whose fastest 40-time is a 4.8.

“It’s completely different,” Chandler said as he finished his second set up latissimus dorsi “lat” pull-downs. “You go from being free to possibly getting triple teamed.”

Playing defensive tackle never felt like a real option for Chandler, who walked on campus at 220 pounds as a freshman. Chandler, however, never envisioned his freshman year to turn out the way it did either.

Against LaGrange College in his second game of his college career, Chandler recorded eight tackles, and in his mind, he was beginning to tackle his goal of becoming newcomer of the year in the conference.

A fumble would change everything. Diving for a loose ball, Chandler’s foot got caught in the ground underneath him. At the snap of an ankle, those aspirations perished.

“It was a freak accident,” said Chandler as he rolled down his long, blacksocks to reveal a six-inch scar on his ankle. “Nobody landed on it. I went from going for a fumble to rolling over in excruciating pain.”

A metal plate and seven to eight screws later, Chandler was on the road to recovery his freshman season, sitting the rest of the way and earning a medical redshirt. Chandler sat by as he watched Milner and Bell become superstars in the position he was competing for with a feeling of “that could have been me.”

Chandler’s sophomore year revealed to him that he was not fully recovered, but his confidence grew, as he was able to play in backup roles and attain 10 tackles that season. A year and a half removed from a severe ankle break and Chandler feels better than he ever has, doing everything he can to add bulk for a move to the defensive interior. He feels stronger and more athletic, and the workload will only increase in the next few months.

Monday marked the last day Chandler was in town. He moved back to Millsaps later that afternoon for summer school and summer workouts at D1 training in Jackson that started today.

After everything Chandler has been through, he’s standing tall and strong on both ankles. With a diligent workout program and diet, Chandler believes he’s put himself in a position to succeed in 2014, no matter where he’s at on the field.

“I’ve had my setback year, I’ve had my comeback year and now, I believe it’s time for my breakout year,” Chandler said.