Last season marked the first time since age 4 that cornerback Asaad Chapman played without his twin brother Ahamad by his side, but Ahamad still spent plenty of time in his ear.
As Ahamad settled in through his first season at UTSA, he passed along lessons about what depth and leverage the Roadrunners cornerbacks use in different concepts. When Asaad finished up at San Bernardino Valley Junior College and the brothers reunited as teammates at UTSA in 2026, Ahamad wanted Asaad to hit the ground running.
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UTSA coach Jeff Traylor noticed the strength of their bond during last year’s First Responder Bowl, when Asaad was on hand as a spectator and seemed to live and die with each snap Ahamad played. The twins channel comfort and confidence from playing side by side, but that comes with an emotional attachment that sometimes needs to be reeled in.
Through the first three games of their reunion as teammates at UTSA, juniors Ahamad and Asaad have managed that passion well enough to become starters for the Roadrunners, emerging as standouts in a talented cornerbacks room.
“At first, when I used to try to help him too much, I feel like I kind of slowed him down a little bit,” Ahamad said. “I’m his brother, so I want to help him as much as I can, but he knows what to do. So, once I just backed up, he started balling, and I can focus on myself a little more.”
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When Ahamad took a hit to the groin and went down during one of their first spring practices together, Asaad checked on him so frequently that cornerbacks coach Nick Graham had to remind Asaad to get lined up for the next drill. As much as the brotherly support has been valuable, Traylor said time apart is important, too, “just so they can be their own person a little bit.”
Ahamad described himself as someone who “takes a lot of things personal” since his youth, and the brothers are the first to jump to each other’s defense. But they’re also the first to point out each other’s mistakes and possible fixes, so much so that they are sometimes split during practice sessions to allow more room for coaching.
“Coach Graham would get on us like, ‘Hey, let him play,'” Asaad said. “But that’s just how we are. We want to see each other better, and no matter how mad he gets about it or how mad I get about it, if something went wrong, we’re going to tell each other.”
While the two offer a few different qualities on the field, Traylor said they both stand out for being lanky, athletic, and coachable.
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Asaad is slightly bigger at 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds compared to Ahamad’s listed build at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, but corner Zach Morris admits he still mixed them up initially. Traylor quickly learned to use Ahamad’s nose ring as the identifying factor.
“I coached Ahamad for the whole year with the nose ring, so I know nose ring is the one I know,” Traylor said. “I know them both, obviously, but I have nosed Ahamad longer than I’ve nosed Asaad.”
UTSA plucked Ahamad out of San Bernardino Valley as one of the final additions to the roster last August, while Asaad remained behind, becoming the No. 3 JUCO prospect in the country, per 247Sports.
Though they were set to be apart for the first time, Asaad said he encouraged Ahamad to make the jump, believing the move was best for their family. Ahamad emerged as a starter for the Roadrunners late in the year while preserving his redshirt, which only boosted Asaad’s confidence.
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Asaad said he had other Division I offers out of high school but needed to go the JUCO route to get his academics in order. The decision to sign with UTSA last year was an easy one, as he never wavered from the plan to reunite with his brother.
“I always knew what we could do for a team, and what we could do for each other,” Asaad said. “Just looking to the side and seeing my twin brother, somebody I’m real comfortable with. I know he wanted the best for me.”
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Ahamad said playing side-by-side with his brother in Division I was something “we always dreamed about,” and they started together for the first time during UTSA’s Week 2 matchup at Texas State.
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Asaad said he felt another “dream come true” moment last week at Texas, fighting through the initial shock of playing in front of 100,000 people under the lights at Royal-Memorial Stadium.
Even against elite, NFL-bound receivers Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo, Asaad allowed just one catch for 7 yards on five targets, per Pro Football Focus. Though he described his performance as just “decent,” he said he had fun taking the opportunity to prove that “I’m really supposed to be here right now.” Ahamad had promised since last year that Asaad would be an impact player for the Roadrunners, and Asaad is delivering on that potential.
Asaad’s showing against Texas led to an outpouring of praise on social media, as well as some speculation about the money he could earn next year either in the NFL or through a transfer to a larger program. But having slogged through the JUCO path to reunite with his brother, Asaad said he’s “not really too bought into the hype.”
“I’m grateful for where I’m at right now, especially where I came from last year,” Asaad said. “I’m not focused on none of that.”
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This article originally published at Brotherly bond helps Chapman twins emerge as standouts for UTSA.
