Oct. 26, 2004
If you could open and run any kind of restaurant, what kind of food would you serve and where?
I really couldn’t tell you. I eat all types of food. I really couldn’t say. There isn’t one particular type of restaurant I would open up. I would try to have something that would have a little piece of everything in there. I like Chinese, Caribbean, and Italian. I eat all types of food.
If you were elected to be the President of the U.S. tomorrow, what would be your first act?
My first act would be making sure my parents are good. I would take care of my parents first and then take care of the country.
What is something that most people don’t know about you?
I think people really don’t know me as a whole and the way I think. I look at things differently than a lot of people do.
What would be your ultimate Sports Center highlight?
I would say my ultimate Sports Center highlight, would be me getting a sack with a fumble recovery. I pick it up, score and do a nice little Dion [Sanders] dance in the endzone. It would have to be against Georgia.
If you could communicate with any type of animal, which would you pick?
I would say a lion, because they are the king of the jungle.
If you had to exchange wardrobes with someone on the team, whose clothes would you want?
I would take Mark Logan’s. That guy has a different outfit everyday, and they are nice. He dresses nice. I would say Mark Logan definitely. That guy can dress.
Tell about one visible scar…
I had surgery when I was little. I had to get my appendix taken out. I had some scar tissue blocking my intestine so they had to go in take out the scar tissue from my appendix surgery.
If you could relive any single family outing in your life what would it be?
I would just like to go back when I was little. It wouldn’t have to be anything specific with the family, just being at the house chillin’. I would just like to go back to when I was little. There are no worries, you are just free. All you had to do was just go to school and have fun. That’s one thing I would like, to go back to being free and doing whatever.
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 like basketball. Well, since the Lakers traded Shaq, I need to find someone else who is good. I like offense. I would want tickets to Miami and I would want to sit in the press box. No, actually I would want to sit on the floor so when they are playing the Lakers I could sit next to Jack Nicholson and talk trash with him the whole game.
What is the nicest compliment that you have received?
The nicest compliment I have received was that I am kind hearted. I take other people’s feelings into consideration. I think for the most part I am a really nice person. When I am on the field though, I have to change attitudes. But I try to go out there and have fun. I like to have fun. When I am on the field I go out there and do what I have to do, but I try to have fun with it.
When your Tech days are over, how would you like to be remembered?
I would want one of my pictures to be on the all-American wall, but I didn’t have the acclimates to do it. I just want to be remembered as someone you could count on. Someone that is accountable and dependable. Someone people said, `if I ever had a problem, I could always turn to this guy.’
Who has had the greatest influence on your athletic career?
I think my parents have. A lot of things I do, I do for them. I do what I can do to try to better them. So, it would be my parents that drive me to do better and keep going.
If you could teach any subject/thing, what would it be?
I would teach math because it’s easy. There are rules that tell you to do this or do that. It doesn’t throw you any curveballs or anything. I would teach math.
When I was a youth growing up, I pretended to be like…
Like Mike. Michael Jordan. I liked basketball when I was a youth, so I used to stick my tongue out and try to dunk and be like Mike.
If you were forced to give up all of your possessions but one, what would it be?
I don’t have anything that’s just so valuable to me that I can’t do without it. I don’t think of material things to be that important to me.
What one thing makes you smile?
I just love to see people smile and have fun. I like to be free and have a good time and make sure other people are having fun. That’s something I smile about, being out, having fun and just being free. My parents make me smile too. Just seeing my parents happy always puts a smile on my face.
What is the most valuable thing you’ve learned from being a college athlete?
I think I have learned a lot about life from being a college athlete. I think my ups and downs go with the ups and downs of life. I think it teaches you how it is in the real world and the type of things you should expect. I think everyone should experience that. It’s like a job almost being a college athlete. The coaches are your bosses. You have to listen to them because they are your bosses. You can’t just do what you want to do. But I have learned about life in general and how you have to do things in life.
Do you have any pre-game rituals?
No, I don’t. I just get taped and I like to pray before every game. I like to thank God for letting me be able to do this and be here. I pray before every game.
What is the best thing about being a college athlete at Tech?
I think the best thing is graduating. Graduating from Tech is an amazing thing and it will help you in whatever you do. You meet enough people to help show you the way. You meet people who own big companies. It’s a great aspect of college, being able to network here at Tech. People who own law firms graduate from Tech. People who own investment companies went to Tech. I worked for an investment company this past summer. My bosses come to all the games and it’s their life. I can’t thank them enough for helping me out.
What has been the most memorable game that you have been a part of?
I think it had to be Duke my freshman year. That was the first time I played my freshman year so it would have to my most memorable. I was freshman and was asked to come in because someone got hurt. I wanted to play but you never want someone to get hurt, God forbid. It was just a rush though. I played that whole game. That was my first game.
What won’t you miss about being a college athlete?
Getting up early everyday to go and workout. I won’t miss the mandatory stuff like being here for meetings at ten o’clock. It just messes up your whole day. I won’t miss that. I like to sleep in.
If you could have the largest collection of one thing, what would it be?
Give me money. Give me the largest collection of money. I don’t think money is everything, but it could help to ease some wounds some times. It can help make things good some times. But I am not a greedy person or anything.
What is your all-time favorite meal?
Me being Nigerian, I would have to say rice. My mom makes this rice that’s mixed in with a stew. That is my favorite meal.
If you were a pro wrestler what would your name be?
The Nigerian Nightmare. I would be a tough guy. No jumping off the ropes or anything. Just get in the ring and take care of business.
If you could make one thing come true for a friend what would it be and for whom?
I don’t have just one person that I would like to do something for. I have a lot of people that I would like to do things for. I could make a list of all the people I would like to help.
What team would you add to the schedule?
I think we should’ve had Florida State on the schedule. That’s a team I was never able to beat. I’m glad we beat Clemson because it was one of the teams that we hadn’t beaten. We hadn’t beaten Georgia, Florida State and Clemson. Every year since I have been here, we haven’t beaten them. We got Clemson this year, there is still a chance to get Georgia this year, but I wanted a chance to beat Florida State. I like to get the best of teams.
Name a professor that has had an impact on you here at Tech:
Kelly Grace. She was my human resources teacher. She was a prototypical boss and ran her classroom like a business. In her class, she was straightforward and she challenged you. She impacted me because she challenged me. She didn’t tell you everything or go straight from the book, she made you figure things out and think. She made you think, `if this situation happened in real life, how would you handle it?’ She was just a good professor.
