SPARTANBURG, S.C. (WSPA) – An Upstate native will soon hit the field and play in front of millions of fans for Super Bowl LVIII. Before he does, he’s remembering where his love for the game started.
Excitement continues to build ahead of Super Bowl 58 and for those with ties to Chapman High School. That’s because it’s the former stomping grounds of current San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel.
From signs and letters of encouragement, to the big screens, Samuel has an army of support that begins in Spartanburg County.
His reps on the field grew through the years at Chapman High, at the time, under coach Mark Hodge.
“As we continued to get into football and train, we realized he was a really good football player,” said Mark Hodge, former Chapman High School coach. “The more he played and the more he had the ball, the more special we figured out he was.”
Hodge’s coaching has since shifted to Spartanburg High School, where he is currently. Yet still, he said the duo’s bond continued to grow greater than he could have ever imagined. It was like family. So much so, that coach made sure Samuel had a ride to and from school while they were both at Chapman.