In my practice report yesterday, i mentioned I would post an Aruna Q&A, but I ran out of time and have no working internet at home.
Here it is:
What was the motivation behind the number change, going to No. 1?
“To me there’s nothing behind it for real. I used to wear a wide receiver’s number, and I just wanted something different for my senior year. There’s nothing behind it. I just wanted another number.”
Coach Fritz has been pretty open about wanting you to fill the shoes that Tanzel has left. Are you embracing that?
“Oh yeah. I have to kind of be the leader this year. I just have to show the other guys how to get it done and take everybody with me. This season is going to be a journey. There are going to be some hard times. I just have to be there to be like a big brother for them and get it done.”
They are continuing to have you line up inside in some situations. How big of an adjustment is it for you, and do you embrace that?
“Knowing my background, I didn’t play much football, and I just embrace whatever the coaches bring to the table. That is kind of good for me because it makes me play more physical than just being outside. I’m going to do whatever the coaches want us to do, regardless of what it is.”
Without Tanzel, there is a need there. Do you see that as a factor because you just don’t have a lot of depth inside?
“We don’t, but we have it pretty good. We have Sean Wilson and Eldrick Washington and De’Andre Williams. They might not do the same thing Tanzel does, but they are going to fill into that gap and do whatever we can to give our offense a chance during the games.”
You’ve openly talked about being the sack leader in the conference this year. What gives you the confidence to talk like that?
“I just believe I’ve spent of ton of time as a college football player. I think I can do that this year. I just want to show people how much better I’ve gotten from my freshman year to my senior year. I just kind of feel like I can do it. I can be the sack leader in the conference this season.”
What does Parry Nickerson bring to this team?
“Parry brings experience. He brings everything to this team. He brings that intensity. If you’re a freshman, you can learn a lot from Parry and he can teach a lot, just to what we’re trying to do this season. We’re trying to play in a bowl game, so we need everybody to play and come together as a team. All the freshmen can look at Parry and he can show them how to get it done. He’s a very special guy on our team.”
With the media picking you guys last in the conference, do you feel like you guys are better than that?
“I’m just more focused on our team. We want to play in a bowl game and change the program. I’m not concerned about all the people picking us last. I’m just more concerned about my team.”
You redshirted the last time Tulane made a bowl game, in 2013. What do you remember about that year?
“That year was phenomenal. I can tell, as soon as we were like 4-0 (in conference), there were scouts here every day. I’m talking about scouts from every team. It was one of the seasons that gave me the motivation to want to play. I wish I could have played that year. I didn’t know much about football, but that year was special. The whole defense, the way we played that year, I really loved football. That made me want to get out there and play for them. I think we are going to do something similar to that this year. This past summer we’ve been working so hard just to get better on defense and as a team as a whole. We have to come together as a team and execute whatever the coaches want us to do on the field.”
It seems like you’re playing around the alignments up front after being a strict 4-3 team with Tanzel here. How much does that help your game be a little more versatile?
“Like I said earlier, it just makes me play more physical. I know that part of the game, people don’t really know much about me. Oh, can he stop the run? Yeah, I can. It’s just making me play more physical than what I was. It’s not like I wasn’t physical before, but when you are playing inside, you have to be able to hold your gap and just stay there. People will see me doing more than what I did the past season.”
Here it is:
What was the motivation behind the number change, going to No. 1?
“To me there’s nothing behind it for real. I used to wear a wide receiver’s number, and I just wanted something different for my senior year. There’s nothing behind it. I just wanted another number.”
Coach Fritz has been pretty open about wanting you to fill the shoes that Tanzel has left. Are you embracing that?
“Oh yeah. I have to kind of be the leader this year. I just have to show the other guys how to get it done and take everybody with me. This season is going to be a journey. There are going to be some hard times. I just have to be there to be like a big brother for them and get it done.”
They are continuing to have you line up inside in some situations. How big of an adjustment is it for you, and do you embrace that?
“Knowing my background, I didn’t play much football, and I just embrace whatever the coaches bring to the table. That is kind of good for me because it makes me play more physical than just being outside. I’m going to do whatever the coaches want us to do, regardless of what it is.”
Without Tanzel, there is a need there. Do you see that as a factor because you just don’t have a lot of depth inside?
“We don’t, but we have it pretty good. We have Sean Wilson and Eldrick Washington and De’Andre Williams. They might not do the same thing Tanzel does, but they are going to fill into that gap and do whatever we can to give our offense a chance during the games.”
You’ve openly talked about being the sack leader in the conference this year. What gives you the confidence to talk like that?
“I just believe I’ve spent of ton of time as a college football player. I think I can do that this year. I just want to show people how much better I’ve gotten from my freshman year to my senior year. I just kind of feel like I can do it. I can be the sack leader in the conference this season.”
What does Parry Nickerson bring to this team?
“Parry brings experience. He brings everything to this team. He brings that intensity. If you’re a freshman, you can learn a lot from Parry and he can teach a lot, just to what we’re trying to do this season. We’re trying to play in a bowl game, so we need everybody to play and come together as a team. All the freshmen can look at Parry and he can show them how to get it done. He’s a very special guy on our team.”
With the media picking you guys last in the conference, do you feel like you guys are better than that?
“I’m just more focused on our team. We want to play in a bowl game and change the program. I’m not concerned about all the people picking us last. I’m just more concerned about my team.”
You redshirted the last time Tulane made a bowl game, in 2013. What do you remember about that year?
“That year was phenomenal. I can tell, as soon as we were like 4-0 (in conference), there were scouts here every day. I’m talking about scouts from every team. It was one of the seasons that gave me the motivation to want to play. I wish I could have played that year. I didn’t know much about football, but that year was special. The whole defense, the way we played that year, I really loved football. That made me want to get out there and play for them. I think we are going to do something similar to that this year. This past summer we’ve been working so hard just to get better on defense and as a team as a whole. We have to come together as a team and execute whatever the coaches want us to do on the field.”
It seems like you’re playing around the alignments up front after being a strict 4-3 team with Tanzel here. How much does that help your game be a little more versatile?
“Like I said earlier, it just makes me play more physical. I know that part of the game, people don’t really know much about me. Oh, can he stop the run? Yeah, I can. It’s just making me play more physical than what I was. It’s not like I wasn’t physical before, but when you are playing inside, you have to be able to hold your gap and just stay there. People will see me doing more than what I did the past season.”