Offseason Talk

Do you have any pre-game rituals? 

“Yes I do. Before every game, I have a certain playlist that I listen to and we also have a hot tub in the locker room that I like to get into. I like to have the same routine every game.” 

Why did you choose A&M?  

“A&M stuck out to me because of how it felt like home. There was an opportunity for me to play early here and I really just wanted to stay close to home and I felt A&M was a great place. I made the perfect decision because I love it here.” 

Who inspired you the most growing up?  

“I would say my older brother. I always looked up to him because he played football at Allen and I always wanted to be like him. He had played corner and I played safety, so I kind of played the same position. He taught me everything he knew because he went to college before me. He just taught me a lot of stuff.” 

In your two seasons playing at A&M, what’s your most memorable moment?  

“I’d have to say the fact that we beat OU and Nebraska at home. When everybody rushed the field that was just crazy. It was something really special to be apart of and I feel like its been awhile since A&M has been at that point and to have a game that big where everyone rushed the field, it was just a great feeling to just be apart of it.” 

What do you expect individually for next year?  

“I just want to be a better overall player and just be a better teammate. We have a real close-knit team and I just want to do my part. Everybody on our team has a role and I’m just trying to do what I can to fulfill that role.” 

What about the team? 

“We always have high expectations every year. The two years I’ve been here, each year, we’ve been going up. As Coach Sherman always says, “Each year we need to get better”, so I feel like we need to take that next step and get even farther and get to the Big 12 championship and just do big things.” 

Anything you’re going to try and improve on this spring?  

“Basically, my overall game, like my footwork and tackling. Nobodies perfect, you know, there’s always room to get better so I’m just trying to take everyday one day at a time and just get better at something everyday.” 

What’s your biggest accomplishment in football thus far? 

“Just getting the opportunity to get a scholarship to play at A&M. That was a big achievement. It’s pretty rare if you think of how many people play high school sports and don’t get a chance to play in college. So my biggest accomplishment is just being able to be apart of a team like A&M.” 

How was the whole Cotton Bowl experience this year?  

“The Cotton Bowl was great! We went to the Independence Bowl last year so this year was just way better. The hotel we stayed at was great. It was like a BCS bowl how they treated us. We all got iPads! It was really nice. We had about 5 days before the game, so we would have practice in the morning, then we would have the rest of the day to get close with teammates and do team functions. We got to go to the Mavericks game and go to really nice restaurants! It was great.”

What’s your favorite A&M tradition and why?  

“When they do the “Saw Varsity’s Horns Off”. When you’re on the field and you look up and see everyone doing it and the stands are shaking, it’s really intimidating for the other teams. It’s one of those sites that you can’t get anywhere else. It gives me energy to do more.” 

After losing three in a row, what helped the team turn it around and finish strong?  

“The biggest thing is that we didn’t panic. A lot of people outside the team really panicked and thought it was going to be just like last year. We just stayed focus and some things that didn’t go for us in those three games started clicking and we picked it up for the rest of the season. The main thing I feel like is that we didn’t panic and kept working at it and overcame it.” 

What was is like being apart of the renewal of the “Wrecking Crew”? 

“It was great. Almost indescribable! Every time you see A&M highlights from back in the day, you see the big hits from the “Wrecking Crew” and people throwing up the “Wrecking Crew” symbol and just to see that come back again was amazing. That’s another reason why I came here is because of the traditions. The “Wrecking crew”, I feel like, is one of the best traditions to be apart of and just how it’s a defensive thing, and I like defensive football. And to be apart of something that big is great. We just have to keep it up and keep building on it!”  

Any other final comments you’d like to add? 

“We’re working hard this offseason. A lot of people are going to expect more of us and we expect more of ourselves too. The sky’s the limit for this team and were going to do whatever we can to be the best that we can be.”