HBCU football will bring WSSU defensive back Chancellor Smith back to Virginia on Saturday, but the road to the Rams’ season opener began with his decision to stay.
Smith transferred to Winston-Salem State from Alabama A&M in 2025. The Richmond, Va., native arrived with a connection to a coach who had previously worked at Alabama A&M, but the staff that brought him to WSSU changed after last season.
Several players entered the transfer portal. Smith, however, never seriously framed leaving as his answer.
“I just don’t quit,” Smith told HBCU Gameday. “I still had another year, and I just, you know, don’t want to quit.”
That choice gives first-year WSSU head coach Tory Woodbury an experienced player in the secondary. Smith played in all 10 games during the 2025 season?, recording 36 tackles, three pass breakups and one interception.
For Chancellor Smith, staying also meant accepting responsibility for helping the Rams move forward. His message was less about personal opportunity than the team’s larger goal.
“I’m here and I’m here to win,” Smith said. “It’s about us. Not just me.”
WSSU defense enters opener hungry
Smith sees a different energy around the WSSU defense as it prepares for Norfolk State. His position remains similar, but he believes the entire unit looks faster and more assured.
“I would say we are flying around,” Smith said. “Everybody is hungry. Everybody’s more confident. And, you know, we’re just ready.”
The HBCU matchup kicks off at 6 p.m. Saturday? at William “Dick” Price Stadium. It will be the first meeting between the programs since 2009 and Woodbury’s first game as the Rams’ head coach.
The trip also provides a home-state moment for Chancellor Smith. He does not have personal connections to the Norfolk State roster, but expects plenty of support inside the stadium.
“I got a lot of family in Virginia,” Smith said. “Not specifically in Norfolk, but, yeah, I got a lot of family. Definitely gonna be a big crowd. I’m excited for them to see me come out there and watch me and have support. So it’ll be fun.”
Football is only part of Smith’s Virginia story. He and his brother turned their interest in trading cards into a business, opening what Smith described as Williamsburg’s first Black-owned sports-card shop.
The brothers started by collecting cards, attending shows and vending. Their father then encouraged them to establish a permanent location near Toano, an area the family already knew well.
“We’re doing it big. We’re doing well with it,” Smith said.
Smith is also accomplished in the classroom. He’s already got a degree in liberal studies, and is now pursuing another in business administration with a concentration in marketing.
Now Smith returns to Virginia carrying two identities: entrepreneur and senior defensive back. WSSU will need the latter against Norfolk State, but both roles reflect the quality that kept him in Winston-Salem when an easier exit was available—he does not quit.