BYU football: Chambers adjusts — despite slips

PROVO — A few times during the winter while walking around on campus, BYU wide receiver O'Neill Chambers slipped on snow or ice and fell down.

What's a kid from Florida to do?

"I had sneakers on. After that, I didn't wear them anymore," Chambers explained with a laugh. "I learned my lesson. But it's been fun."

Before his recruiting trip to Provo, the sophomore from Harmony, Fla., had never seen snow. Living in snow the past several months has been an adjustment.

"The winter was up and down. It freaks me out," Chambers said. "The only thing I've been thinking about is Laramie (where the Cougars face the Wyoming Cowboys next Nov. 7). I've heard bad stories about Laramie. I'm just trying to get my mind motivated to be in that cold."

Besides the weather, Chambers has had to make other adjustments since arriving at BYU last summer. School's been tough, he said, but his grades are getting better. While he hasn't gotten homesick, it's been hard to get used to being in a predominantly LDS environment.

"It's been good and bad at times," he said. "I've had to get used to it and enjoy the moments that I'm here because I could be anywhere else. I've just got to enjoy it. I can't be upset with anything because this is the opportunity of a lifetime. I'm satisfied and I'm happy that I came (to BYU). It's something new and that's my slogan for my life — try something new all the time. No matter what it is."

Coach Bronco Mendenhall said Chambers is learning and growing as a person and as an athlete.

"I think he's maturing, not only on the field, but just handling the workload at practice and balancing social life, school and football," Mendenhall said. "There'll still be mistakes to come. That's just part of a young man developing, coming from all the way across the country to a very unique place with a lot of scrutiny. We all know we're not out of the woods in terms of his development. But the good news is, he is willing and he is progressing and I'm glad he's here."

It didn't take long for Chambers, who turned down scholarship offers from Florida, Georgia, Clemson, Purdue and Texas Tech, to make news at BYU. Just days into fall camp last August, he made some controversial comments in an article that appeared on ESPN.com. Among other things, Chambers said there were some players who shouldn't be on BYU's team.

The next day, Mendenhall called it "a program failure" and addressed the issue with his players, adding that "it was a teachable moment for that young man and our team."