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Nebraska Football
Pre-Illinois
Monday, Aug. 23, 2021
Press Conference Video
On being named captain
“Man. It means a lot. I’m just blessed. All I can say is thank God. I just want to thank my teammates for choosing me to represent us. I take big pride in it. I just can’t wait to get this season rolling.”
On getting to this point in his career
“It was something that was always driving me. Me maturing over the years and everything. Playing behind Carlos Khalil my brother that kind of helped push me because just watching them how they played and everything kind of just pushed me to be the best I could be.”
On his brother’s reaction to him being named captain
“He was happy. I was blessed. I told him and he said I knew you could do it. I always knew you could. You were born to be a leader. It went from there.”
On his similarities with his brother
“In the middle a little bit. I got my own way and he got his. You just going to have to see how it goes."
On first-time Blackshirt recipients
“Deontre Thomas. That’s my brother. We came in together hopefully end this thing together next couple years. It is a blessing to be able to basically say that somebody I came in here with got a Blackshirt.”
On Deontre’s reaction to his Blackshirt
“Man I do not know. He’s Deontre (Thomas). He can always carry a straight face and everything so it’s kind of hard.”
On the development of the offensive line
“Night and day for those guys. Just like I said in the last couple interviews this past spring it was tough. Coach had to tell us to stop and take care of each other because every other play one of us was on the ground. We really got after it not just spring but fall camp as well. Going against guys like Ethan Piper and Cameron Jurgens Bryce Benhart. All those guys in the front. It is always been like that and it is going to continue being like that.”
On Illinois
“They got a new coaching staff and we are ready to get back on the field and they are ready to get back on the field. It’s going to be a dogfight.”
On the Week 0 Game
“Week 0. Like I said we just can’t wait to get back on the field.”
On how opening game sets the tone for the season
“Openers like you said we are the only team that’s going to be playing so all eyes are going to be on Nebraska. It is going to set the tempo for the rest of the year for us.”
On the preparation for the season
“Nah we just take it day by day.”
On the player leadership this year compared to previous years
“It’s kind of different I feel like. With these guys we are more vocal and back in the day with the older leaders they would get on us and everything but I feel like back in the day everyone was not as dialed in as we are this year.”
On the shift in leadership
“Probably like when the spring started. The way we hit it in the summer and everything. It is a feeling that we all just got and I also said this to myself and I kind of hit on it the older players started talking about it and I feel good. I like what we doing this year. I like where we going. Let’s keep building."
NU Athletic Communications