Sept. 23, 2005
What would be your ultimate Sports Center highlight?
“It would be being able to score the winning touchdown during the ACC Championship on December 3.”
If you had to exchange wardrobes with someone on the team, whose clothes would you want?
“My roommate Eric Henderson does a good job with fashion so I would probably want to trade clothes with him.”
Tell about one visible scar…
“I have one on my right leg from high school. After a long run during a game, one of the guys that tackled me gave me a little bit of a cheap shot and stuck his cleat in my shin.”
If you could relive any single family outing in your life what would it be?
“When I was 10 years old, my family took a vacation to Boca Raton in Florida and I spent a lot of time with my great-aunt. I will always remember that trip and I wish I had been older at the time because I would have cherished those moments a lot more.”
If you could have season tickets for any team, sitting in any place in the stadium, which team would it be and where would you sit?
“I’d really enjoy having tickets to the Lakers and sitting on the front row near the three-point line. I’ve been a big LA fan ever since the Magic Johnson and James Worthy era, and it just seems like a great environment to be in.”
What is the nicest compliment that you have received?
“A lot of people tell me that I’m a very handsome young man.”
Who has had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
“My mom was the one who pushed to me to start playing sports. I was always at the park playing football, basketball, baseball, track, soccer. You name it, she had me playing it. It has made me a well-rounded athlete. She’s always been my number one fan and was always there cheering me on at all my games.”
If you were forced to give up all of your possessions but one, what would it be?
“I have a little card with a prayer written on it that was given to me by my godmother. I try to look at it every day and it reminds me of her.”
What is your best non-athletic talent?
“I have a great way with words. I’m a very convincing person because I can talk to someone and they will believe what I have to say mainly because of the way that I say it and how persuasive I am.”
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from being a college athlete?
“Perseverance, because it’s one of the most important things that you need to learn while you’re in college. Not everything is always going to be handed to you. You have to be able to fight through the days when you have a dark cloud over you.”
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
“If I have a good game, I try to remember what I did exactly before the game and I try to repeat that for the next game. It gets to the point where I’ll wear a certain pair of shoes or keep the same routine.”
What is the best thing about being a college athlete at Tech?
“The fans. We have some of the most loyal fans even through the ups and the downs. Although every one of them wants us to win, they’re still there for us when we’re not doing as well and that’s important to us.”
Favorite stadium:
“On October 22, we’re going to play in the Orange Bowl. I’ve heard it’s an old stadium but I think it will be cool to be able to play Miami down there.”
What has been the most memorable game that you have been a part of?
“My first start against North Carolina during my freshman year was my most memorable game, mainly because of how nervous I was before it started.”
What won’t you miss about being a college athlete?
“Early morning workouts. I’m not a morning person and I had to learn to like it because I knew that was necessary to get the job done. Having camp and meetings are other things I won’t miss.”
What is your all-time favorite meal?
“I don’t necessarily have a favorite meal but being from New Orleans, I’m pretty big on seafood like shrimp, crawfish, and scallops.”
If you could make one thing come true for a friend, what would it be and for whom?
“I have a few friends that are in Georgia right now because of Hurricane Katrina and any time they ask me for some help, I try and provide them with anything I can because I know how tough it’s been for them and what they’ve gone through. To see the impact that it’s had on them has been hard for me so I try to do anything I can.”
What team would you add to the schedule?
“LSU, because it would truly give me a chance to go home and play in front of my whole family where everyone I know could see me playing on the field.”
Favorite musical artist:
“Tupac, mainly because his music gives you a way to relate to any situation. It can also be for all age groups. I’ve put in one of his CD’s during a road trip with my parents and they enjoy listening to him too.”
Last music CD that you’ve bought:
“UTP, which stands for Uptown Project.”
Favorite TV show:
“Oz, which was a show on HBO based on prison life and how hard it is.”
Person you’d like to meet:
“Bo Jackson. He was a big-time running back and it was tragic to see how his injury caused him not to be able to play football again. Seeing him run really motivated me to want to run as hard as him.”
If you could play any other sport at Tech, what would it be?
“Basketball. I was an All-American in basketball when I was 12. I thought that was the route I would follow in regards to sport, but once I reached 6-1 and stopped growing, I knew I needed to follow another sport.”
Besides playing in the NFL, what other professional plans do you have after graduation?
“My focus right now is in marketing or finance. I would want to be a financial planner or maybe a financial analyst for a bank because I feel that I would be good at managing other people’s money. This summer, I was able to land an internship with a marketing firm and I was able to get a feel for how marketing works. I’m very passionate about those two fields and I see myself following one of those two paths after graduation.”
Name a professor that has had an impact on you here at Tech:
“Jan Lukens, my finance professor. He taught us a lot, always joked around with us, and made finance relevant to the working world. A lot of times, we learn things in the classroom and we don’t always know how they will be useful in life. I was also able to talk to him outside of class about school and my post-graduation plans.”
