How did Chambers’ Braylon Vinson replace ‘Hollywood’? He learned from ‘Hollywood’

Who would replace Hollywood?

That was one of, if the not the biggest question, surrounding the Chambers High football team after star tailback Daylan “Hollywood” Smothers transferred to West Charlotte in the spring. Smothers is a two-time all-state star committed to Oklahoma and N.C. Preps named him its preseason player of the year.

So, naturally, many wondered who would replace Smothers’ production on a team that was trying to reach a fifth straight state championship game.

In the 2022 season opener Saturday against reigning N.C. state champion Cardinal Gibbons, the No. 1 team in the state in preseason, the Cougars may have found their answer.

Junior running back Braylon Vinson touched the ball a lot against the Crusaders. He had more than 100 all-purpose yards and two rushing touchdowns. Vinson says that he knows how good Smothers is, and in his time at Chambers, Vinson was able to pick his brain.

“I actually learned a lot from Daylan,” Vinson said after the game. “When I came in, he took me under his wing and taught me a lot of stuff. He just told me to keep pushing and keep the ball rolling.”

Vinson displayed great vision against the Crusaders, kind of how Smothers used to, making a lot of last-minute cuts to find the open holes that his line created for him. He credits a lot of his success to his offensive line as well.

“I put everything on my line, no cap,” Vinson said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be anything.”

Smothers, who was at the game Saturday, said he was happy to see his friend play so well.

“Braylon has been there for two years now,” Smothers said. “So, he has always been behind me and people didn’t really hear about him, but he has always been ready to go. I definitely knew he was going to be ready to take over. You put the ball in his hands and you can trust him.”

One of the biggest things that Smothers wanted to make sure Vinson knew was the importance of being curious.

“I always told him to get your head in and ask questions,” Smothers said. “It is always a good thing to have questions, and once you get all your answers, you just keep practicing to get better. You keep your head up and stay confident and don’t ever change being a learner.”

New head coach Brandon Wiggins sees the talent in his team, and he feels like Vinson is a prime example of a young man who has a lot of it, but just needed the opportunity to show it.

“It is just one of those things, you know, that we have on our team, guys that just need the opportunity to be on the field,” Wiggins said. “Braylon is an example of that. We have a lot of talent at Julius Chambers. We have a lot of great young men, all they need is the opportunity.”

Vinson certainly took advantage of his.

This story was originally published August 22, 2022 at 6:00 AM.