Q: What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned playing football?
“The work you put in is what you’re going to get out of it. If you don’t want to grind in the offseason and you don’t want to put in the extra work, you are going to get beat up by somebody who does put in that work.”
Q: What does football mean to you?
“It really has been something I’ve grown to love, from all the lessons it has taught me. It’s been a big part of my life. The brotherhood, friends… really the brothers and family you make, from coaches and staff to your teammates, has been one of the biggest and best parts of my life.”
Q: What challenges have you overcome?
“I think just having that mindset of trying not to get down on yourself when bad things happen, just to move on to the next play. Being hypercompetitive, you never want to lose, but you really have to keep that mindset out. You’re never going to win 100% of the time, even if you try. You just have to be able to keep it moving.”
Q: What motivates you to overcome those challenges?
“Really just the support from my family. Just them helping guide me through it with their experiences… and helping push me, giving me the right lessons and just teaching me how to overcome it. To not get so down on yourself and to keep grinding.”
Q: How do you balance sports with your other responsibilities in your life?
“It’s always been the biggest thing in my family that football is my favorite thing and one of the biggest things in my life, but the real responsibility is school first and to keep my grades right. Football will take you far but your grades will always take you farther. That’s always been the first responsibility. Just to make sure to keep that and to keep my relationship with God right, just to keep those two things ahead of [football].”
Q: Do you have a favorite football memory?
“It would have to be my junior season, when we went down to the state championship and beat our district rival – Union – in the Dome.”
