After losing its top two rushers from the 2025 season to eligibility limits and the transfer portal, William and Mary football (7-5, 6-2 CAA) found itself in need of reinforcements in the offensive backfield.
While it is unlikely that the Tribe will replace 1,451 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns with just one player, Hampton transfer running back Jah’Kei Chavis is set to take on part of that responsibility.
Chavis’ arrival in Williamsburg marks a full-circle moment, after the Tribe played a role in his recruitment coming out of high school.
“William and Mary was trying to get me, but I guess they didn’t have enough spots for running backs,” Chavis said.
For Chavis, the road to William and Mary football was motivated by his family and his continued desire to improve.
Coming out of Armstrong High School in Richmond, Va., Chavis followed a familial pipeline of high-level football players.
“My uncles and cousins, they all played football and [were] taking the college route and getting into school for free,” Chavis said.
It was not just the rich tradition of football success in his family that propelled him to play college football, but a more difficult reality.
Chavis recalled a conversation between him and his mother when it became clear that his best path to a college education would come via football.
“I just had to make a way and go hard,” Chavis said.
So after recording over 1,200 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns as a high school senior on his way to being named All-Metro Player of the Year, Chavis committed to Coastal Athletic Association rival Hampton.
Even with a positive season on a personal level, racking up a team-leading 354 yards on the ground, Hampton football as a whole suffered another disappointing season, finishing 2-10 and winless in CAA play. This led to the firing of head coach Trent Boykin and his staff.
Outside of the departure of the staff that drew Chavis to Hampton in the first place, Chavis’ general dissatisfaction with the position he found himself playing impacted his transfer decision.
“The running back group was great, but there were so many running backs on scholarship, and we have to try and get everyone in,” Chavis said.
He also questioned how anyone in the running back room could gain a rhythm if touches were so sporadic over the course of a game.
Despite his departure from Hampton, Chavis was grateful for the lessons he learned and the guidance he received from his fellow teammates during his year there.
“I had two upperclassmen ahead of me who led us freshmen. I give them credit as well,” Chavis said.
Once Chavis officially reentered the portal, William and Mary coaches invited him to campus for a visit.
“I committed as soon as I saw the campus,” said Chavis. “The team, the coaches, they all greeted me like a brother, like a family.”
On the field, Chavis has found two main inspirations in his position: Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs and NFL hall-of-famer Barry Sanders. Chavis said both players are similar in style to him as downhill, physical running backs. Additionally, the coaching staff has shown him clips of Gibbs and Sanders in some of their first meetings.
With the freshman-to-sophomore year jump in college being considered one of the most important times in a player’s development, Chavis has already identified his reading of the game and patience as areas for development.Chavis also looks to improve off the field and in the locker room. He hopes to help build a collective environment of trust among all players as a leader, no matter their position or role.
With all of this in mind, Chavis has no doubt about what it will take to see out his development and reach his lofty goal of 2,000 all-purpose yards next season.
“It all starts from here, stacking days and putting the work in,” he said.
