As told by Joe Prisco
Assistant Media Services Director
Campbell University Athletics

Q: Why did you decided to come to Campbell?

A: Really, I felt something in my heart. It was like a purpose. The school was starting a football team and it was somewhere that I could profess my faith since God and Christianity are a strong part of my life. Attending Campbell gives me the opportunity to get an education, play football and continue to grow spiritually.

Q: What has been the most challenging part of being a member of the football program?

A: The first year on campus was the most challenge one that I had. It was difficult practicing without any games, learning the playbook and adapting to the different speed of the game than in high school. Plus being young and adjusting to college life also took some time. My first year was also when I began to really learn the importance of proper time management.

Q: How do you balance the time it takes to be a student, student-teacher and an athlete?

A: It has been challenging, but I have adapted to being busy over my four years on campus. I am doing my practicum at Buies Creek Elementary right now and will start my student-teaching in the spring. All my teachers and coaches have been flexible, which has allowed me to adapt my classes and schedule to make the transition from class, to the elementary school then to the football field very easy on me.

Q: How did you get started playing football?

A: I moved here from Connecticut when I was nine-years old since all my mother's family is from, and lives in Beaufort, North Carolina. All my uncles and cousins played Pop-Warner football so I watched them for just one game and I was hooked. I told them right afterward that I wanted to join. It was around fifth grade that I started playing and I have been playing ever since.

Q: Is there any significance to the number 25 you wear?

A: Yes there is for me. I am a person of strong faith in Christianity and God and the perfect number to him is seven. So I always have to have a number that adds up or equals seven.

Q: Who do you feel is the funniest guy on the team and why?

A: This season on road trips I have been rooming with fellow linebacker Terrell Barnes and he is hilarious. He is from Florida and naturally talks really fast. He talks so fast at times that you can hardly understand him. He is a funny guy that always has me laughing and enjoying myself on the road the last couple of months.

Q: I understand that you and your fellow starting linebackers Milton Brown and Lee Stanley have a collective nickname, what is it and how did you come up with it?

A: We call ourselves the "Junkyard Dogs". It comes from the mentality that we have when we are on the field. When you are watching a movie or people enter junkyards you see these vicious dogs like a pit bull or rottweiler and they are just barking and are ready to attack. We have that same mentality. Once an opponent comes into our home field or our area on the field, they are trespassing and we are going to get after them.

Q: What is your favorite part of being a member of Campbell's football program?

A: I enjoy the spotlight of being a role model as a student-athlete and football player. I feel being part of the football team allows me to get my name and Campbell's football program's name out in the community. Being both a football player and also strong believer in Christ makes it easier for me to spread His message.

Q: Are there any pre-game rituals you go through?

A: Not really rituals. I have a set schedule that I follow every game especially the home games. I have a set time where I read the Bible. I have a set time where I listen to music. During home games I come out to the seven-yard line closest to the Field House and pray and meditate.

Q: What do you like to do in your free time away from the football field?

A: I primarily sleep. Since we are so busy with football taking up 20 hours a week, and then I student-teach and go to class daily. I like to just relax and sleep when I can. Lee Stanley, Milton Brown and Will Phillippi and a few other members of the team are always picking on me for sleeping when there is nothing else to do.

Q: Now that you are in your fourth year as part of the program, what are some of your favorite memories so far?

A: The win at Carthage was a great memory for me and the team since it was the first win we had experienced. Then for me personally this past weekend (Oct. 2) when I intercepted a pass against Butler. It was the best memory I could have since it was my first interception. Plus to beat the conference champs soundly (27-10) on the road was a great moment for me and our entire team.

Q: Let's talk about your interception, what did you see?

A: Everything happened the way we had been practicing that week for Butler. Coach Williams had been telling me all week to hit the receiver and stay right where I was since they would throw it right to me. I did as I was told and stayed with the receiver after making contact with him. The ball was thrown and I tipped it up in the air. The ball seemed to stay in the air for a long period of time. Milton Brown said my eyes got as big as the moon. I then reached out and caught the ball. It was a great feeling.

Q: Who are some people that you admire or that have had the biggest influence in your life?

A: Definitely my mother. She was a single mom and instilled much of the strong values and Christianity that I have. She also taught me the lessons of hard work and I can never thank her enough for what she did for me. I love her very much.

Q: If you could have dinner with any three people who would they be and why?

A: I would like to have dinner with President Obama. He is a person that has done a lot for the country and has made a lot of history by being elected president. Second would be Martin Luther King. He is another person that changed the world and is a role model for a lot of people. Third would be Mike Tomlin. I am a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan and I just like his attitude about defense and head coaching. I aspire to be a coach as well as a teacher and I think it would be interesting to sit down and talk football with Coach Tomlin. I have always liked the Steelers. They are not flashy but the team always plays hardnosed defense. After Mike Tomlin was named head coach a few years ago I started to like them more and more.