Q: How about the camaraderie of the guys out here this week?
A: Oh man, it’s just been great. I’m looking forward to it. I’m just looking at it as a chance to get better and to help this team win a National Championship.
Q: What’s your take on the first day of workouts?
A: Hey, it’d different, but it’s nothing. Just a little bit more work.
Q: I heard you recently got another test score to confirm that you’re qualified to play this year?
A: Oh yeah. That’s just like on the field man, striving for extras, and that’s what I did. And, hey, look where I’m at.
Q: Does that say a lot about you? We know you worked really hard to get there.
A: Yeah, you know, being a football player you have a lot of pressure, a lot of stereotypes. But, you know, that’s motivation. I use that to just get better.
Q: Talk a little about your relationship with Antone (Smith); I know you guys are pretty close.
A: Oh man, he’s like a brother to me. All these guys coming in, we want to be a unit. You know, in the last couple years, people said it was a unit, but it wasn’t a unit. I want to be able to tell Antone if he needs anything, ‘Come to my house.’ If I need anything, I want to be able to go to him. Just like the rest of the other guys here. Right now we have a big unit and we’re ready to win.
Q: You cut the hair, huh. That’s a little surprising.
A: Oh man, hey, it’s a nice look man. You know the ladies like it too. It’s going good, I’m loving it.
Q: You really had to work to get out here, huh?
A: In life there are a lot of trials and tribulations, but how you respond to adversity is what really makes you a man. And I accomplished that, that’s all behind me, so it’s time to move forward.
Q: On signing day, you said that you will be out on this field.
A: Exactly, and that was my motivation. I’m going to let those guys know that, hey, all that stereotyping, all the bad talk, all that negative talk, hey, that’s motivation.
Q: What are your personal expectations out here right now?
A: Oh man, I’m ready to come in here and make a stride at starting. I feel it. I feel good.
Q: What sort of a thrill is this for you?
A: Oh man, you know just being a part of the Seminole tradition, something that I always looked at, I never thought that I’d be on this field one day, and to actually be here, I’m going to make it a good one.
Q: How is this different from high school and the way you prepared there?
A: I had to adapt to the changes, knowing that in high school, you don’t do that many drills in one set. You know, we did a lot of consecutive drills. In high school we didn’t do it like that.
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