Clemson TE Commit, Grandson of Gene Stallings, Talks Texas A&M, Alabama Offers

The latest offer for Clemson tight end commit J.C. Chalk seemed to be the missing piece of a three-team recruiting degree of separation.

Chalk told Bleacher Report that he was offered by Alabama on Tuesday. That offer gave Chalk, a 3-star prospect from Argyle, Texas, three offers with major connections to his famous grandfather.

Chalk is the grandson of legendary football coach Gene Stallings, who played and coached at Texas A&M and also spent two coaching stints at Alabama. One of Stallings’ former players at Alabama was Dabo Swinney, who now is Clemson’s head coach.

Three great offers with ties to Stallings. How does a recruit choose?

If you ask Chalk, the decision is easy.

"I'm still just as firm with [Clemson] as when I first committed back when I was a sophomore," said Chalk, who was the first 2016 athlete to commit to the Tigers, announcing his decision on June 11, 2014. "I just want to continue to get closer and closer to the coaching staff there."

Chalk, who measured at The Opening Dallas regional Sunday at 6'4" and 224 pounds, has been the topic of discussion for Texas A&M fans since before he officially landed an offer on March 2. Aggies fans believe it's a matter of time before Chalk flips and follows his grandfather's footsteps. Stallings, who celebrated his 80th birthday earlier this month, played at Texas A&M in the 1950s and returned to College Station to coach there from 1965-71.

Now, Alabama fans can have the same feeling. Stallings didn't play home games in Tuscaloosa, but he began his coaching career there in the late 1950s and helped the Crimson Tide win national titles in 1961 and 1964 as a defensive assistant coach. Stallings came back to Alabama in the 1990s after professional coaching stops with the Dallas Cowboys as a secondary coach and with the St. Louis (later moved to Phoenix) Cardinals.

"[With Texas A&M], I like how much they can offer you after football is over with the degree you'll get there and the Aggie network with all the connections," Chalk said. "They also have a great veterinarian program, which is what I want to do. They also have nice facilities.

"With Alabama, it's the history they have with winning. You can't really find a better program than Alabama. Them being able to say that if you come here for four years, there's a great chance you can win a national championship at least once...there aren't a lot of programs that can say that."

With all of that, however, Chalk said his heart is with Clemson. He's had extensive discussions with Swinney, who played wide receiver at Alabama under Stallings and won a national title with him in 1992. Per his 247Sports timeline, Chalk was at Clemson in January for junior day. He told Bleacher Report that he's planning to return to the campus next weekend.

Chalk has heard many stories about his grandfather, but it has been the ones from Swinney that have stood out.

"He talked about how much of a man my grandpa shaped him into," Chalk said of Swinney. "He said my grandpa made him a better football player and then a better man and future husband. The toughness, he brought out, but he said my grandpa was always there for him. The player-coach relationship was the best he had.

"Everyone looks at my grandpa and thinks he's a great person. To hear that from [Swinney] and all the other people in the football world, it really makes you appreciate how great he is. He made a lot of men who are now shaping other young men."

In addition to outside offers from Texas A&M and Alabama, Chalk has offers from Ole Miss and Oklahoma State that he considers attractive.

Chalk's relationship with Stallings is unbreakable. The two are very close, and Chalk said he values the time spent with Stallings, who lives on a farm in Paris, Texas.

"The one thing a lot of people don't know is how much he generally cares for his family," Chalk said. "His love for us is crazy. I can call him whenever, and we can talk about anything. We'll go fishing a lot, and if football is usually in the conversation, I'm the one bringing it up. He hardly ever mentions it."

Whether or not Chalk stays with Clemson by next February is still to be determined, but Chalk said Stallings won't have a dog in the race. He currently has seven offers—and all seven know of Stallings' legendary status.

"It's going to be hard to go anywhere and not have my grandpa with some kind of connection," Chalk said. "Being able to go to Clemson kind of gives me my own start. I think that's kind of cool."

Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst with Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. Player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSayles