The Official Jets Podcast takes a closer look at first-round pick Olu Fashanu. Host Eric Allen is joined in the Audi Performance Studio by Penn State HC James Franklin and then by the Green & White's No. 11 overall selection.
1:50 - James Franklin on what Olu Fashanu symbolized for the Penn State program
4:30 - Franklin recalls Fashanu's recruitment and his early days at Happy Valley
5:50 - Fashanu's decision to return to school in 2023
14:50 - Coach Franklin's thoughts on what's ahead for the Jets rookie
16:15 - Fashanu on his special draft night
18:12 - The Jets were the preferred destination
23:40 - Fashanu reflects on high school ball at Gonzaga HS
27:10 - His mentality as he prepares for his first season in the NFL
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, everybody, Welcome into the Fisher Jets podcast. Eric Allen
here at One Jets Drive. If you are listening, please subscribe,
rate and review. If you're watching there on YouTube, we
appreciate you, but smash that like while you're there. The
Jets selected seven players during the twenty twenty four NFL Draft,
With the headliner Bean Penn State tackle Olu Fashionu. The
(00:28):
Jets actually moved back one spot and a trade with
the Vikings were able to grab one of the most
talented tackles in an elite class, acquiring additional assets in
the move as Minnesota landed Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. Fashion
New will begin his career, of course, on a rebuilt
offensive line as Jets GM Joe Douglas began the offseason
(00:51):
with the free agent signings of John Simpson and Tyron Smith,
and he also traded to bring back Morgan Moses from Baltimore.
It's a great situation for Fashionu as he's going to
learn from a guy who used to study in Tyron Smith.
We caught up with Olu on draft weekend, but before
(01:11):
that we wanted to start the pod with Olu fashion News.
College coach Penn State's James Franklin. James, thank you so
much for being with us today. I want to start
with a quote that you post on social media after
Olu was drafted by the Jets. You are an incredible
young man, a football player. We couldn't be happier for
(01:33):
you and your family. Your love for the game, dedication
or hard work will continue to stand out in your
professional career. What does he symbolize to your program?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, to me, he's the model Penn State football player.
You know, this guy could have left last year as
probably a first round draft choice from all the reports
that I got, decided to come back to school to
be an All American, to compete for a championship, to graduate.
You know, he had the highest GPA in one of
(02:06):
the best schools in the country Are Business School, had
like a three point seven gpa.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Just just wanted to do everything right.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
He's he's really I think one of these guys that
literally whatever he wanted to do, he could be successful in,
whether that is business, whether that is football. He's just
that type of guy. Uh, tremendous leader, tremendous family. You
guys are gonna love him on the field because there's
no doubt in my mind he's going to get the
(02:38):
job done. But I just think you guys are going
to spend some time around him and get to know
him and his humility and his intelligence. I think the
people you know in the city are going.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
To fall in love with him.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
On the recruiting trail in twenty twenty, what did you
see in the young man at Gonzaga High School in Washington,
d C.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, Well, he was kind of a raw football player
at that time. He wasn't highly recruited. He ended up
being a fairly highly recruited player by the end of
the process in terms of rankings and things like that,
but he wasn't really at the time when we first
started recruiting him. He's really a basketball player that had
just started playing football the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Being in New York. You know better than me, there's.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
A ton of six or four basketball players that should
be playing football, and Olu made the switch and just
really kind of flourished once he arrived on our campus,
you know, really flourished. He's one of these guys. He
trusted the process, he trusted the coaches. He was super coachable.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
He was going to do.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Whatever he had to do to grow and get better
and be an impactful player in our program, and just
got better every single day and every single year.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Parents were very involved in.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
The process, not from a negative standpoint, I don't want
that to come off the wrong way, just very supportive
of us as coaches as well as their son.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Can you speak to his mindset and his progress during
those first two years where he was a red shirt
and then the following year he got some snaps as
a reserve and also playing special teams, well.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I think he was also you got to remember too,
he was also behind the guy who's starting left tackle
for the Green Bay Packers now, so it's not like
you know, he was behind somebody that obviously wasn't also
an impressive player, and that's what Rashid Wallace, but just
again a guy that just punches the clock and has
(04:36):
just gotten better and better and better in really every
area football, IQ fundamentals and technique. I think the thing
you guys are gonna find with him is his play strength,
especially in past protection. He has the ability where maybe
a guy gets on his edge and he's able to
(04:57):
overcome bad positions and get back into powerful, dominant positions
at the end, you know, I think that's where his
strength is. I think in the run game, I think
it's an area where I think he can take the
next step. He was a dominant player for us, but
I still think there's room for growth there. I just
(05:19):
think you guys are going to absolutely love him. I know,
talking to the coaches in a GM, you know they're
fired up about him as well.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
What were those conversations like for you guys Following the
twenty twenty two season when the NFL Draft Advisory Board said, hey, Olu,
if you come out, you could be a first round pick.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, I sat down with his family. I'm probably different
than a lot of college coaches. I actually advised Olu
and his mom and dad that he should leave and
kind of went through all the presentation, all the evaluations
that I had, and Olu's mom took her hand and
put it across my chest and said, thank you very much,
Coach Franklin. We appreciate your recommendations. But Olu always planned
(06:02):
on being college for four years. He has not graduated yet,
He's not leaving without his degree, and we appreciate all
this information.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
It's really valuable information.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
But Olu's coming back and I said yes, ma'am, Yes, ma'am,
you know, and then we just got to work. And
then it was kind of the pressure really had switched
to me at that point because I had to put
Olu in a position where he could get better, continue
to grow. So now go from being a first round
pick to a top fifteen pick graduate and also keep
(06:36):
him healthy. So what is that fine line of how
much work he needed to get. He got no live
reps in spring ball, he got no live reps in
training camp.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
He just he was at a different point in his career.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
So we came up with a plan that Olu was
very comfortable with and so was our coaching staff, and
it really worked out in everybody's best interest, which is
really what you're trying to create a win win situation.
This is a win for Olu and his family, but
it's also win for Penn State.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Can you talk about how he improved as a player
last season and also another element to this I think
is very important is he talked about embracing maybe a
different mindset as far as being more of a leader.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
I would say the leadership is the thing that probably
stood out the most. Being more comfortable to have challenging
conversations with his teammates, holding people accountable. But I also
think when you're a guy like Olu who does everything
right and people see that, they're open to hearing that
(07:41):
from their teammate, when they know this guy does everything
right and has.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
For four years.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I think the other thing is for me at major
the major college level, or whether it's in the NFL,
it's all about consistency, right, whether you're a first round
draft choice, a top fifteen pick, or whether you're a
second round draft choice. All those guys have first round potential,
but who are the guys that can do it game
(08:06):
in and game out, quarter in and quarter out, and
doesn't matter who the opponent is. And that's where I
think Olu continued to take a step. He just was
putting top fifteen film together, game after game, rep after rep.
And then obviously, you know, being able to go against
(08:27):
guys like Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac a practice every
single day that iron sharpens iron, I think is a
really important thing as well, and I think the NFL
scouts come into practice and being able to watch those
guys go against each other and one on ones and
then for us to send the film as well. It's
really it's about consistency, and that's that's who Olu is
(08:47):
from the day he stepped on our campus.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
What were those matchups like that you had a chance
to watch every day because Olu first time he walks
into the building here, he says, you know, under coach Franklin,
everything was about competition. You just mentioned chopping Adisa. What
was it like those guys going after each other.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, I don't think it's just for Olu and Chop
and that that's that's obviously important in their development, but
it's also important for our whole team to watch. Here's
two of the best two players in college football at
their positions, and they are going at each other like
they are going at each other, and everybody's watching, all
eyes on them, and that's how we start practice every
(09:26):
single day.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
But I think, you know, those types of.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Things are important for Olu and Chop, but it was
just as important for our entire team to see our
best players go at each other every single day. And
then what was really cool is after practice you'd see
him talking.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Like, Hey, you know, you got me here? How did
that happen?
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I got you here?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
This was the tip or this was some of the
things I was reading in your pre snap alignment or
whatever it may be. So it's really cool to watch
those guys be supportive of one another as well.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You've mu in all those family multiple times. Can you
speak to his character and the influences they've had on
him as far as his approach and everything he does?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, just mom, dad, sister, all very very successful. I
think the values that he was raised with. Again, you know,
there's not too many times you sit to have a
conversation and a family tells you a coach, all that
money you're talking about is great in the first round,
(10:33):
but Olu doesn't have his degree yet and he's coming
back and finishing it. Just I would say they're about substance,
and I don't want that to come off being critical.
Guys that leave school early to get drafted in the
first round, I get it, But I'm just saying they
are a family that really is about substance and not
(10:55):
chasing shiny things. Consistency, substance, being able to have hard
conversations with each other.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
You know, their parents.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
You know, it's been my it's been my experience that
this generation, some of these parents are their kids' friends,
not really their parents. And these are two strong parents
a strong older sister that you could tell there was
a lot of love in the home, but there was
also a lot of tough conversations and holding each other accountable.
(11:28):
So when he got to Penn State and when he
gets to your organization, it's not the first time he's
been putting challenging, tough situations before, which is also why
I think he'll thrive.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
What was draft night like for you personally? And can
he talk about your travels that some of us were
able to follow there on social media?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah, you know, we were fortunate, right. We had two
guys drafted in the first round out of the state
of Maryland. One was in Waldorf, which is where Oulu is,
which is like southern PG County, And then we had
about an hour drive to get the Chops house, and
I didn't know if we were gonna make it. So literally,
we're celebrating with Olu. I'm hugging him, telling him I
love him, and then I gotta go. We're like running
(12:10):
out of the house going ninety five miles an hour
on the Beltway. I think it was And it's funny
the guy's in the car with me, like, I hope
we get there before Chop gets drafted. I'm like, I
hope we don't. Like, I hope he gets drafted as
thing as possible. That could be six million dollars. What
are we talking about? But it ended up working out
really well and it timed up great. You know, I
(12:31):
wish I could be there for all of our players.
We had eight players get drafted. I wish I could
have been there for all of them, but those worked out.
It's not too often you get two guys drafted in
the first round from the same state within an hour
from each other.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
What do you think about the situation that Ola walks
in here. I'm not asking you to analyze the DUPB chart,
but just from Afar, he's talked about, Hey, Tyrone Smith
is a guy that I grew up studying as far
as the film is concerned. And the Jets also brought
in another veteran tackle here this offseason, reacquiring Morgan Moses
(13:04):
in the trade with Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, I can't speak on that.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
I don't I don't study the NFL as as closely
as as I would like. Obviously we do for scheme
and cut ups and things like that. You know, I
was with Aaron. Me and Aaron were together in Green Bay.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I think it was Aaron's rookie year. I was there
for his you know, his first year in the NFL.
So I know he's happy, you know, So it should
be it.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Should be a great situation. But I don't study it enough.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I just know the type of player he is and
the type of character he has that those are guys
that you can't have enough high production, low maintenance guys
in your locker room.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And that's what he is.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Speaking of the high production. Uh, can you speak to
how unique it was as far as what he did
in past protection, because if you look at the various sites,
some people said zero sex give up throughout his college career.
I don't know how you guys address that in the
film room or maybe one It depends who you talk to.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Well, yeah, it's it's interesting because there's a lot of
people that do these studies and I don't know completely
how they do it because they don't know the rules
of our protection and who's responsible for the end or
blitzing outside linebacker coming off the edge or a corner
and things like that. I don't have the stats the
way we did it, but obviously when you're when the
(14:29):
number is zero or one, you feel pretty good about
it either way.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
And lastly, let's get out of here with this. Really
appreciate your time. What do you think is ahead for
Olu as far as his professional career that's concerned.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yeah, obviously there's so many variables that goes into a
player's success. You know, there's so many factors, especially when
you're talking about the NFL. But I just you know,
I feel very confident. I feel very comfortable when you
got a guy with his physical traits, god given traits
(15:07):
that that that he has, and you and you put
those and you combine them with the character that he has, uh,
and those things are usually a winning combination for a long,
successful career. And I also know, like I'm very very
confident that he's always going to represent the Jets in
(15:28):
the right light in the community, uh, in interviews, and
he's going to be the type of guy you want
in your locker room. So when you when you take
those traits and you and you combine them that they're
usually you know, they're usually you know, a winning you know,
a winning recipe, and uh, I couldn't be more confident
about the young man. I'll be looking forward to talking
(15:50):
to me in the future after you've gotten to know
him better. And I'm hoping you're saying, hey, coach, you
are exactly right. This this Olu guy is is phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Thanks so much, coach.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
We appreciate your time today.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Thursday night, what was that experience like for you in
Maryland as far as the draft is concerned.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
It was amazing, you know, just to celebrate such a
special night with the group of people who've been in
my corner for the last four years and for you know,
all of us to be gathered and for one special occasion,
and you know, it met the world. Like obviously, it'd
be nice to go to Detroit, you know, walk across
the stage, you know, shake the Commissioner's hand and everything,
(16:32):
but I wouldn't be able to have everyone with me.
So again, to just have that opportunity, it was.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
But how did you decide who was going to be
at your place? Because it was a huge crowd.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
It was a huge crowd. I mean it was it
was pretty simple. We just had a little conversation with
my parents, just you know, a list of people. Then
obviously I got people asking me like, Yo, are you
going to Detroit?
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Are you not? Then obviously I'm like, no, I'm not.
Then asking can we pull up? Of course?
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So what about your teammates though, Yeah, a lot of
you had a lot of guys from Pennsville.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yeah, I had a lot of guys there, and.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
All the guys that were there, I'm like extremely tight
with there, So you know, I wouldn't I wouldn't have
wanted any any differently, And I'm super appreciative that they
were able to make that drive up because that drive
is it's it's a pretty brutal drive.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
It's it's four hours and some change.
Speaker 5 (17:25):
And typically at that time of the day that they left,
you know, you're hit with a lot of traffic in
that area.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
So for them to you know, still make.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
It out to to to last night, you know, it
meant the world to me.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
What was the afternoon like, like the build up to
the Kreshno.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Yeah, so the days the days before, I was a
little bit nervous, but I think honestly, like all of
yesterday and the day before. I was just excited, you know,
I was really just excited to you know, to start
this new chapter. And when I got that call and
I saw and I saw the new Jersey number, I
(18:01):
was I could not believe it. I was like, no way,
like this is actually happening, Like I'm I'm going to
be a Jet.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So but but you made it clear you wanted to
be a Jet. Now, a lot of guys after the
drafted say, you know, that was the place I wanted
to be, But you say it was such conviction.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Because it's true, Like honestly, it is true.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
I out of all the top thirty visits and the
and the formal visits I had at the Combine adjust
by far the best. And I had such great conversations
with mister Douglass, Coach Sala and Coach Carter, and for me,
after the visit, I just knew that this was the
place for me.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Did you tell your parents that after you left here?
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I did, But they're the only people I told.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Oh really, yeah, So what were the conversations like, like
take us behind the scenes.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I mean it was pretty simple.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
It's just like Bob Dad, like I really, like I
really liked this team really like what they have going
on here. Beautiful facilities, great people, great coaches, great staff,
and it was just a very good vibe during my visit.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
How many teams did you meet with in the pre
draft process as far as the visits?
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Yeah, I met with six teams, sir.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
And where did you expect to go?
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And all?
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Honestly, I was thinking somewhere in the teens. I don't
look at mock drafts, but obviously all my friends do
and family. So for a couple of weeks, you know,
people were telling me that I was probably going to
go to the Saints. So I was just like, Okay,
I mean, oh really yeah, I mean I'm still in
I'm still I'm still fortunate to be in this, to
(19:38):
have this opportunity, so I'll go wherever. But I'd be
lying to you if I told you that, you know,
in the bottom of my heart, I was like, dang,
you know Jets.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
But so when did the Jets call you draft night?
Prior to does anybody call like is the pick start
going on? And say hang on here?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Yeah? Sorry, what do you mean? Like, so.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
When did you get the sense that, okay, we're coming
up the Jets?
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:06):
And this could be real.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
Yeah, so I think first when when the Vikings traded,
when they had the trade with the Vikings, I was like, okay,
you know this, something could happen, you know. So I
was just I made sure I had my phone on
my lap just to make sure I was just locked
in and dialed in in case something ranged. Then when
the phone rang, I was just like, oh my goodness,
(20:29):
like it's it's happening.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So have you gone back and looked at the video
as far as what's my posted on social media? And
also I don't want you just to tell us about
who was in the room, but also can you talk
about people very important to you, whether that be across
the pond in London and then also in Nigeria as well.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
Yeah, there's a lot of people staying up across the
world to see it. I have family in Nigeria, family
in London, and I wasn't aware of it, but my mom,
my mom told me, you know, they're all staying up
waiting for me. So again, not only to have all
the support in the room, but to know that, you know,
family across the world stayed up for me and and
(21:13):
waiting until they heard my name be called it. I mean,
there's not there's not much more you can ask for
than that.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
What time was it in Nigeria?
Speaker 5 (21:20):
You know, so I want to say Nigeria is either six,
it's between either it's between five to seven hours ahead,
so it was late. So that's quite early in the.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Morning, quite early in the morning.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Can you talk about you as far as your childhood
is concerned and how much influence your parents had on you?
Of course your upbringing in Maryland.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
So with me, you know, family wise, it's me, my mom, dad,
older sister were raised in Waldorf, Maryland, a small, small
little town about thirty and it's from DC. We're all
in Nigerian. My parents were born and raised in Nigeria.
They moved here in the late eighties, got married in
(22:08):
the late nineties, and had my sister and I in
the early two thousands and it's just been the four
of us ever since. And growing up in that household,
it was great.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
You know.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
My parents made a lot of sacrifices growing up. They
made sure to make sure that my sister and I
had the most enjoyable childhood as possible. But while doing that,
they also made sure that We grew up on the
basis of love, respect, and discipline, and I really felt
that the discipline aspect really helped carry me, you know,
this far into my life in terms of just taking
(22:37):
care of business no matter what.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
What did your dad tell you as far as hey,
if you are going to do something, what did your
approach have to be?
Speaker 5 (22:49):
Yeah, he would have his saying it's a little foggy,
but it was something along the lines of, you know, everything, everything,
everything you do is worth doing well. And that's something
that that's really stuck with me all throughout my life.
And I think that's why I put in so much
effort into my school work. I mean with football, obviously
(23:12):
I was putting in a lot of effort, but I'm
having fun doing it because I love I love football,
So it was never it was never any any you
know stress to me, you know, putting an extra time
to do.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Stuff for football. But with school, I.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
Think that's kind of what carried me, you know, the
fact that you know, I am a student athlete, I
am in high school, I am in college, so you know,
I gotta gotta do my best to you know, get
the best grades as possible.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Gonzega High school in DC.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Yes, sir, what was.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
A routine day like for you as far getting up
in the morning and take me through what you're doing
at school and when you finish.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Yeah, So it really just depends on the time of
the year. So I'd say the most the most strenuous
time of the year definitely was not during the season.
You know, I have fun during the season, but during
the off season it could get pretty The schedule can
get pretty intense, just because we have early workouts in
the morning, and you know, we would we would have
(24:09):
seven am workouts, which don't sound too bad, but when
you factor in that I live forty minutes away without traffic,
without traffic again, factoring that in, it could it got
a little bit. It got a little bit crazy at times.
So having to wake up at you know, like five,
five fifteen am every day during the off season, just
(24:32):
so we leave early enough to the point where we're
not stuck in traffic and you know, to be able
to get there for seven am workout, have workouts then
you know, really you know, really buster tail, trying to
take a quick shower before first period, you know, go through.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
A full day of classes.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
Then right after you're you're doing even more workouts in
the afternoon. But I mean, that's that's what that's what
high school football is all about. So I mean I
wouldn't sa a single thing about it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
But you were a bit different because you took some
time during your day to study pro players, like literally
look at their film while you were in high school.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Yeah, I mean I think that for me was more
so just trying to learn the position more just because
I didn't grow up playing football. I grew up playing basketball.
So during that time, I would just any any free
time I would have, and I'm not hanging out with
my friends, I would at the time, like I just
go on YouTube and just search up you know, Tyron
(25:33):
Smith highlights there or like Cowboys, like full games, just
because I knew like Tyrone was playing back then, and
just you know, watching watching his film, watching the way
he moves, watching the way he maneuvers himself on the field.
And for me, I mean it was it was pretty entertaining,
but I was also watching it to see if I could,
you know, find any ways that I could get better.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
You were a basketball player first, and you were traveling
all over to play, Yes, sir, Yes, sir, aau. So
when did that love change? Does basketball remain your first
love or once you got to the football field and
you started embracing that contact.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
What if I'm being honest, I mean I liked basketball
a lot, but I wouldn't say it was my first love.
Football is for sure my first love, and that's that's
a sport I've been passionate about since the day I
started playing With basketball, it was more so like I
had fun playing the game. I did it to, you know,
to as an extracurricular outside of school and to keep
(26:33):
myself busy and in shape.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
But football, by far, by far the first love.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And you didn't start playing until freshman year of high school. Yes, sir, So,
do you consider yourself right now as a guy with
tremendous upside Because a lot of players coming out of
the draft maybe they started playing flag football whenever six
years old? Where you started playing football? Where you're what
(26:59):
thirteen four?
Speaker 4 (27:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (27:00):
Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I like to think about
it that as I have, like I have a tremendous upside.
But I feel like that that should be a mentality
from every from any rookie. You know, you're you're entering
a completely different environment than college football, and you can
only get better. So with me, I'm always gonna have
the same mentality every day, you know, I'm gonna do
(27:20):
things out of lign with winning and improving myself day
by day.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
How do you get better at Penn State?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
At Penn State, for me, it was just competing. It
was all about competing, you know, competing with myself, trying
to out do myself every day and also trying to
I'll do my teammates. But we we all we all
have the same mentality of trying to out do each
other because we all knew, you know, our coach would
always tell us, you know, the more you compete with
each other, you know, the more you're gonna, you know,
(27:47):
improve each other's skills. And that was the same type
of mentality that we had every single day, every single lift,
every single practice.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
All right.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So speaking about competitions, how were there those on feel
practice battles between you and Chop Robinson, a fellow first
round pick.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
There are wars, Yeah, it was it was a war.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to battle
against not only Chop but adisa a Disa Isaac who
who's most likely going to be a second round pick tonight.
You know, just getting that opportunity to go against two
of those guys every day, honestly, I mean, it was
fighting for my life.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
But honestly, I'm so.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Glad I had that opportunity to go against them because
they definitely got me better. I got them better. You know,
obviously everyone knows the term iron sharpens iron, and they
truly made games a lot easier for me.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
As far as the stats thereup at the State. You
never give up a sack.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
I think it's between me not giving up any sacks
or giving up one sack. Like if I did give
up a sack, I don't think it was clean, but
you know, it's whatever that person thinks it is.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Well, we gotta let you go. It's been a heck
of a week. Or really want to.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Express our congratulations to you and your family and welcome
to Jeff.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yes, sir, happy to be here. M m m
Hey, everybody, Welcome into the Fisher Jets podcast. Eric Allen
here at One Jets Drive. If you are listening, please subscribe,
rate and review. If you're watching there on YouTube, we
appreciate you, but smash that like while you're there. The
Jets selected seven players during the twenty twenty four NFL Draft,
With the headliner Bean Penn State tackle Olu Fashionu. The
(00:28):
Jets actually moved back one spot and a trade with
the Vikings were able to grab one of the most
talented tackles in an elite class, acquiring additional assets in
the move as Minnesota landed Michigan quarterback JJ McCarthy. Fashion
New will begin his career, of course, on a rebuilt
offensive line as Jets GM Joe Douglas began the offseason
(00:51):
with the free agent signings of John Simpson and Tyron Smith,
and he also traded to bring back Morgan Moses from Baltimore.
It's a great situation for Fashionu as he's going to
learn from a guy who used to study in Tyron Smith.
We caught up with Olu on draft weekend, but before
(01:11):
that we wanted to start the pod with Olu fashion News.
College coach Penn State's James Franklin. James, thank you so
much for being with us today. I want to start
with a quote that you post on social media after
Olu was drafted by the Jets. You are an incredible
young man, a football player. We couldn't be happier for
(01:33):
you and your family. Your love for the game, dedication
or hard work will continue to stand out in your
professional career. What does he symbolize to your program?
Speaker 2 (01:44):
Well, to me, he's the model Penn State football player.
You know, this guy could have left last year as
probably a first round draft choice from all the reports
that I got, decided to come back to school to
be an All American, to compete for a championship, to graduate.
You know, he had the highest GPA in one of
(02:06):
the best schools in the country Are Business School, had
like a three point seven gpa.
Speaker 3 (02:15):
Just just wanted to do everything right.
Speaker 2 (02:17):
He's he's really I think one of these guys that
literally whatever he wanted to do, he could be successful in,
whether that is business, whether that is football. He's just
that type of guy. Uh, tremendous leader, tremendous family. You
guys are gonna love him on the field because there's
no doubt in my mind he's going to get the
(02:38):
job done. But I just think you guys are going
to spend some time around him and get to know
him and his humility and his intelligence. I think the
people you know in the city are going.
Speaker 3 (02:50):
To fall in love with him.
Speaker 1 (02:51):
On the recruiting trail in twenty twenty, what did you
see in the young man at Gonzaga High School in Washington,
d C.
Speaker 2 (02:59):
Well, Well, he was kind of a raw football player
at that time. He wasn't highly recruited. He ended up
being a fairly highly recruited player by the end of
the process in terms of rankings and things like that,
but he wasn't really at the time when we first
started recruiting him. He's really a basketball player that had
just started playing football the last couple of years.
Speaker 3 (03:19):
Being in New York. You know better than me, there's.
Speaker 2 (03:21):
A ton of six or four basketball players that should
be playing football, and Olu made the switch and just
really kind of flourished once he arrived on our campus,
you know, really flourished. He's one of these guys. He
trusted the process, he trusted the coaches. He was super coachable.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
He was going to do.
Speaker 2 (03:41):
Whatever he had to do to grow and get better
and be an impactful player in our program, and just
got better every single day and every single year.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
Parents were very involved in.
Speaker 2 (03:53):
The process, not from a negative standpoint, I don't want
that to come off the wrong way, just very supportive
of us as coaches as well as their son.
Speaker 1 (04:02):
Can you speak to his mindset and his progress during
those first two years where he was a red shirt
and then the following year he got some snaps as
a reserve and also playing special teams, well.
Speaker 2 (04:16):
I think he was also you got to remember too,
he was also behind the guy who's starting left tackle
for the Green Bay Packers now, so it's not like
you know, he was behind somebody that obviously wasn't also
an impressive player, and that's what Rashid Wallace, but just
again a guy that just punches the clock and has
(04:36):
just gotten better and better and better in really every
area football, IQ fundamentals and technique. I think the thing
you guys are gonna find with him is his play strength,
especially in past protection. He has the ability where maybe
a guy gets on his edge and he's able to
(04:57):
overcome bad positions and get back into powerful, dominant positions
at the end, you know, I think that's where his
strength is. I think in the run game, I think
it's an area where I think he can take the
next step. He was a dominant player for us, but
I still think there's room for growth there. I just
(05:19):
think you guys are going to absolutely love him. I know,
talking to the coaches in a GM, you know they're
fired up about him as well.
Speaker 1 (05:27):
What were those conversations like for you guys Following the
twenty twenty two season when the NFL Draft Advisory Board said, hey, Olu,
if you come out, you could be a first round pick.
Speaker 2 (05:37):
Well, I sat down with his family. I'm probably different
than a lot of college coaches. I actually advised Olu
and his mom and dad that he should leave and
kind of went through all the presentation, all the evaluations
that I had, and Olu's mom took her hand and
put it across my chest and said, thank you very much,
Coach Franklin. We appreciate your recommendations. But Olu always planned
(06:02):
on being college for four years. He has not graduated yet,
He's not leaving without his degree, and we appreciate all
this information.
Speaker 3 (06:11):
It's really valuable information.
Speaker 2 (06:13):
But Olu's coming back and I said yes, ma'am, Yes, ma'am,
you know, and then we just got to work. And
then it was kind of the pressure really had switched
to me at that point because I had to put
Olu in a position where he could get better, continue
to grow. So now go from being a first round
pick to a top fifteen pick graduate and also keep
(06:36):
him healthy. So what is that fine line of how
much work he needed to get. He got no live
reps in spring ball, he got no live reps in
training camp.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
He just he was at a different point in his career.
Speaker 2 (06:49):
So we came up with a plan that Olu was
very comfortable with and so was our coaching staff, and
it really worked out in everybody's best interest, which is
really what you're trying to create a win win situation.
This is a win for Olu and his family, but
it's also win for Penn State.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Can you talk about how he improved as a player
last season and also another element to this I think
is very important is he talked about embracing maybe a
different mindset as far as being more of a leader.
Speaker 3 (07:19):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
I would say the leadership is the thing that probably
stood out the most. Being more comfortable to have challenging
conversations with his teammates, holding people accountable. But I also
think when you're a guy like Olu who does everything
right and people see that, they're open to hearing that
(07:41):
from their teammate, when they know this guy does everything
right and has.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
For four years.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
I think the other thing is for me at major
the major college level, or whether it's in the NFL,
it's all about consistency, right, whether you're a first round
draft choice, a top fifteen pick, or whether you're a
second round draft choice. All those guys have first round potential,
but who are the guys that can do it game
(08:06):
in and game out, quarter in and quarter out, and
doesn't matter who the opponent is. And that's where I
think Olu continued to take a step. He just was
putting top fifteen film together, game after game, rep after rep.
And then obviously, you know, being able to go against
(08:27):
guys like Chop Robinson and Adisa Isaac a practice every
single day that iron sharpens iron, I think is a
really important thing as well, and I think the NFL
scouts come into practice and being able to watch those
guys go against each other and one on ones and
then for us to send the film as well. It's
really it's about consistency, and that's that's who Olu is
(08:47):
from the day he stepped on our campus.
Speaker 1 (08:49):
What were those matchups like that you had a chance
to watch every day because Olu first time he walks
into the building here, he says, you know, under coach Franklin,
everything was about competition. You just mentioned chopping Adisa. What
was it like those guys going after each other.
Speaker 2 (09:05):
Well, I don't think it's just for Olu and Chop
and that that's that's obviously important in their development, but
it's also important for our whole team to watch. Here's
two of the best two players in college football at
their positions, and they are going at each other like
they are going at each other, and everybody's watching, all
eyes on them, and that's how we start practice every
(09:26):
single day.
Speaker 3 (09:28):
But I think, you know, those types of.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
Things are important for Olu and Chop, but it was
just as important for our entire team to see our
best players go at each other every single day. And
then what was really cool is after practice you'd see
him talking.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Like, Hey, you know, you got me here? How did
that happen?
Speaker 1 (09:47):
Hey?
Speaker 3 (09:47):
I got you here?
Speaker 2 (09:48):
This was the tip or this was some of the
things I was reading in your pre snap alignment or
whatever it may be. So it's really cool to watch
those guys be supportive of one another as well.
Speaker 1 (09:59):
You've mu in all those family multiple times. Can you
speak to his character and the influences they've had on
him as far as his approach and everything he does?
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Yeah, just mom, dad, sister, all very very successful. I
think the values that he was raised with. Again, you know,
there's not too many times you sit to have a
conversation and a family tells you a coach, all that
money you're talking about is great in the first round,
(10:33):
but Olu doesn't have his degree yet and he's coming
back and finishing it. Just I would say they're about substance,
and I don't want that to come off being critical.
Guys that leave school early to get drafted in the
first round, I get it, But I'm just saying they
are a family that really is about substance and not
(10:55):
chasing shiny things. Consistency, substance, being able to have hard
conversations with each other.
Speaker 3 (11:05):
You know, their parents.
Speaker 2 (11:06):
You know, it's been my it's been my experience that
this generation, some of these parents are their kids' friends,
not really their parents. And these are two strong parents
a strong older sister that you could tell there was
a lot of love in the home, but there was
also a lot of tough conversations and holding each other accountable.
(11:28):
So when he got to Penn State and when he
gets to your organization, it's not the first time he's
been putting challenging, tough situations before, which is also why
I think he'll thrive.
Speaker 1 (11:39):
What was draft night like for you personally? And can
he talk about your travels that some of us were
able to follow there on social media?
Speaker 2 (11:49):
Yeah, you know, we were fortunate, right. We had two
guys drafted in the first round out of the state
of Maryland. One was in Waldorf, which is where Oulu is,
which is like southern PG County, And then we had
about an hour drive to get the Chops house, and
I didn't know if we were gonna make it. So literally,
we're celebrating with Olu. I'm hugging him, telling him I
love him, and then I gotta go. We're like running
(12:10):
out of the house going ninety five miles an hour
on the Beltway. I think it was And it's funny
the guy's in the car with me, like, I hope
we get there before Chop gets drafted. I'm like, I
hope we don't. Like, I hope he gets drafted as
thing as possible. That could be six million dollars. What
are we talking about? But it ended up working out
really well and it timed up great. You know, I
(12:31):
wish I could be there for all of our players.
We had eight players get drafted. I wish I could
have been there for all of them, but those worked out.
It's not too often you get two guys drafted in
the first round from the same state within an hour
from each other.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
What do you think about the situation that Ola walks
in here. I'm not asking you to analyze the DUPB chart,
but just from Afar, he's talked about, Hey, Tyrone Smith
is a guy that I grew up studying as far
as the film is concerned. And the Jets also brought
in another veteran tackle here this offseason, reacquiring Morgan Moses
(13:04):
in the trade with Baltimore.
Speaker 3 (13:06):
Yeah, I can't speak on that.
Speaker 2 (13:07):
I don't I don't study the NFL as as closely
as as I would like. Obviously we do for scheme
and cut ups and things like that. You know, I
was with Aaron. Me and Aaron were together in Green Bay.
Speaker 4 (13:22):
You know.
Speaker 2 (13:24):
I think it was Aaron's rookie year. I was there
for his you know, his first year in the NFL.
So I know he's happy, you know, So it should
be it.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Should be a great situation. But I don't study it enough.
Speaker 2 (13:34):
I just know the type of player he is and
the type of character he has that those are guys
that you can't have enough high production, low maintenance guys
in your locker room.
Speaker 3 (13:45):
And that's what he is.
Speaker 1 (13:46):
Speaking of the high production. Uh, can you speak to
how unique it was as far as what he did
in past protection, because if you look at the various sites,
some people said zero sex give up throughout his college career.
I don't know how you guys address that in the
film room or maybe one It depends who you talk to.
Speaker 2 (14:06):
Well, yeah, it's it's interesting because there's a lot of
people that do these studies and I don't know completely
how they do it because they don't know the rules
of our protection and who's responsible for the end or
blitzing outside linebacker coming off the edge or a corner
and things like that. I don't have the stats the
way we did it, but obviously when you're when the
(14:29):
number is zero or one, you feel pretty good about
it either way.
Speaker 1 (14:35):
And lastly, let's get out of here with this. Really
appreciate your time. What do you think is ahead for
Olu as far as his professional career that's concerned.
Speaker 2 (14:47):
Yeah, obviously there's so many variables that goes into a
player's success. You know, there's so many factors, especially when
you're talking about the NFL. But I just you know,
I feel very confident. I feel very comfortable when you
got a guy with his physical traits, god given traits
(15:07):
that that that he has, and you and you put
those and you combine them with the character that he has, uh,
and those things are usually a winning combination for a long,
successful career. And I also know, like I'm very very
confident that he's always going to represent the Jets in
(15:28):
the right light in the community, uh, in interviews, and
he's going to be the type of guy you want
in your locker room. So when you when you take
those traits and you and you combine them that they're
usually you know, they're usually you know, a winning you know,
a winning recipe, and uh, I couldn't be more confident
about the young man. I'll be looking forward to talking
(15:50):
to me in the future after you've gotten to know
him better. And I'm hoping you're saying, hey, coach, you
are exactly right. This this Olu guy is is phenomenal.
Speaker 4 (15:59):
Thanks so much, coach.
Speaker 1 (16:00):
We appreciate your time today.
Speaker 3 (16:01):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (16:03):
Thursday night, what was that experience like for you in
Maryland as far as the draft is concerned.
Speaker 4 (16:11):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (16:12):
It was amazing, you know, just to celebrate such a
special night with the group of people who've been in
my corner for the last four years and for you know,
all of us to be gathered and for one special occasion,
and you know, it met the world. Like obviously, it'd
be nice to go to Detroit, you know, walk across
the stage, you know, shake the Commissioner's hand and everything,
(16:32):
but I wouldn't be able to have everyone with me.
So again, to just have that opportunity, it was.
Speaker 4 (16:38):
It was awesome.
Speaker 1 (16:39):
But how did you decide who was going to be
at your place? Because it was a huge crowd.
Speaker 4 (16:44):
Yeah, it was.
Speaker 5 (16:44):
It was a huge crowd. I mean it was it
was pretty simple. We just had a little conversation with
my parents, just you know, a list of people. Then
obviously I got people asking me like, Yo, are you
going to Detroit?
Speaker 4 (16:56):
Are you not? Then obviously I'm like, no, I'm not.
Then asking can we pull up? Of course?
Speaker 1 (17:02):
So what about your teammates though, Yeah, a lot of
you had a lot of guys from Pennsville.
Speaker 4 (17:05):
Yeah, I had a lot of guys there, and.
Speaker 5 (17:09):
All the guys that were there, I'm like extremely tight
with there, So you know, I wouldn't I wouldn't have
wanted any any differently, And I'm super appreciative that they
were able to make that drive up because that drive
is it's it's a pretty brutal drive.
Speaker 4 (17:22):
It's it's four hours and some change.
Speaker 5 (17:25):
And typically at that time of the day that they left,
you know, you're hit with a lot of traffic in
that area.
Speaker 4 (17:30):
So for them to you know, still make.
Speaker 5 (17:33):
It out to to to last night, you know, it
meant the world to me.
Speaker 1 (17:37):
What was the afternoon like, like the build up to
the Kreshno.
Speaker 5 (17:41):
Yeah, so the days the days before, I was a
little bit nervous, but I think honestly, like all of
yesterday and the day before. I was just excited, you know,
I was really just excited to you know, to start
this new chapter. And when I got that call and
I saw and I saw the new Jersey number, I
(18:01):
was I could not believe it. I was like, no way,
like this is actually happening, Like I'm I'm going to
be a Jet.
Speaker 1 (18:08):
So but but you made it clear you wanted to
be a Jet. Now, a lot of guys after the
drafted say, you know, that was the place I wanted
to be, But you say it was such conviction.
Speaker 4 (18:19):
Because it's true, Like honestly, it is true.
Speaker 5 (18:22):
I out of all the top thirty visits and the
and the formal visits I had at the Combine adjust
by far the best. And I had such great conversations
with mister Douglass, Coach Sala and Coach Carter, and for me,
after the visit, I just knew that this was the
place for me.
Speaker 1 (18:41):
Did you tell your parents that after you left here?
Speaker 3 (18:43):
Yeah?
Speaker 4 (18:43):
I did, But they're the only people I told.
Speaker 1 (18:45):
Oh really, yeah, So what were the conversations like, like
take us behind the scenes.
Speaker 4 (18:52):
I mean it was pretty simple.
Speaker 5 (18:53):
It's just like Bob Dad, like I really, like I
really liked this team really like what they have going
on here. Beautiful facilities, great people, great coaches, great staff,
and it was just a very good vibe during my visit.
Speaker 1 (19:07):
How many teams did you meet with in the pre
draft process as far as the visits?
Speaker 4 (19:11):
Yeah, I met with six teams, sir.
Speaker 1 (19:14):
And where did you expect to go?
Speaker 4 (19:16):
And all?
Speaker 5 (19:17):
Honestly, I was thinking somewhere in the teens. I don't
look at mock drafts, but obviously all my friends do
and family. So for a couple of weeks, you know,
people were telling me that I was probably going to
go to the Saints. So I was just like, Okay,
I mean, oh really yeah, I mean I'm still in
I'm still I'm still fortunate to be in this, to
(19:38):
have this opportunity, so I'll go wherever. But I'd be
lying to you if I told you that, you know,
in the bottom of my heart, I was like, dang,
you know Jets.
Speaker 1 (19:45):
But so when did the Jets call you draft night?
Prior to does anybody call like is the pick start
going on? And say hang on here?
Speaker 4 (19:55):
Yeah? Sorry, what do you mean? Like, so.
Speaker 1 (20:00):
When did you get the sense that, okay, we're coming
up the Jets?
Speaker 4 (20:05):
Yeah?
Speaker 1 (20:06):
And this could be real.
Speaker 5 (20:07):
Yeah, so I think first when when the Vikings traded,
when they had the trade with the Vikings, I was like, okay,
you know this, something could happen, you know. So I
was just I made sure I had my phone on
my lap just to make sure I was just locked
in and dialed in in case something ranged. Then when
the phone rang, I was just like, oh my goodness,
(20:29):
like it's it's happening.
Speaker 1 (20:31):
So have you gone back and looked at the video
as far as what's my posted on social media? And
also I don't want you just to tell us about
who was in the room, but also can you talk
about people very important to you, whether that be across
the pond in London and then also in Nigeria as well.
Speaker 5 (20:51):
Yeah, there's a lot of people staying up across the
world to see it. I have family in Nigeria, family
in London, and I wasn't aware of it, but my mom,
my mom told me, you know, they're all staying up
waiting for me. So again, not only to have all
the support in the room, but to know that, you know,
family across the world stayed up for me and and
(21:13):
waiting until they heard my name be called it. I mean,
there's not there's not much more you can ask for
than that.
Speaker 1 (21:19):
What time was it in Nigeria?
Speaker 5 (21:20):
You know, so I want to say Nigeria is either six,
it's between either it's between five to seven hours ahead,
so it was late. So that's quite early in the.
Speaker 1 (21:32):
Morning, quite early in the morning.
Speaker 4 (21:33):
Yeah. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (21:35):
Can you talk about you as far as your childhood
is concerned and how much influence your parents had on you?
Of course your upbringing in Maryland.
Speaker 4 (21:47):
Yeah, of course.
Speaker 5 (21:47):
So with me, you know, family wise, it's me, my mom, dad,
older sister were raised in Waldorf, Maryland, a small, small
little town about thirty and it's from DC. We're all
in Nigerian. My parents were born and raised in Nigeria.
They moved here in the late eighties, got married in
(22:08):
the late nineties, and had my sister and I in
the early two thousands and it's just been the four
of us ever since. And growing up in that household,
it was great.
Speaker 4 (22:16):
You know.
Speaker 5 (22:16):
My parents made a lot of sacrifices growing up. They
made sure to make sure that my sister and I
had the most enjoyable childhood as possible. But while doing that,
they also made sure that We grew up on the
basis of love, respect, and discipline, and I really felt
that the discipline aspect really helped carry me, you know,
this far into my life in terms of just taking
(22:37):
care of business no matter what.
Speaker 1 (22:40):
What did your dad tell you as far as hey,
if you are going to do something, what did your
approach have to be?
Speaker 5 (22:49):
Yeah, he would have his saying it's a little foggy,
but it was something along the lines of, you know, everything, everything,
everything you do is worth doing well. And that's something
that that's really stuck with me all throughout my life.
And I think that's why I put in so much
effort into my school work. I mean with football, obviously
(23:12):
I was putting in a lot of effort, but I'm
having fun doing it because I love I love football,
So it was never it was never any any you
know stress to me, you know, putting an extra time
to do.
Speaker 4 (23:23):
Stuff for football. But with school, I.
Speaker 5 (23:25):
Think that's kind of what carried me, you know, the
fact that you know, I am a student athlete, I
am in high school, I am in college, so you know,
I gotta gotta do my best to you know, get
the best grades as possible.
Speaker 1 (23:37):
Gonzega High school in DC.
Speaker 4 (23:39):
Yes, sir, what was.
Speaker 1 (23:40):
A routine day like for you as far getting up
in the morning and take me through what you're doing
at school and when you finish.
Speaker 5 (23:49):
Yeah, So it really just depends on the time of
the year. So I'd say the most the most strenuous
time of the year definitely was not during the season.
You know, I have fun during the season, but during
the off season it could get pretty The schedule can
get pretty intense, just because we have early workouts in
the morning, and you know, we would we would have
(24:09):
seven am workouts, which don't sound too bad, but when
you factor in that I live forty minutes away without traffic,
without traffic again, factoring that in, it could it got
a little bit. It got a little bit crazy at times.
So having to wake up at you know, like five,
five fifteen am every day during the off season, just
(24:32):
so we leave early enough to the point where we're
not stuck in traffic and you know, to be able
to get there for seven am workout, have workouts then
you know, really you know, really buster tail, trying to
take a quick shower before first period, you know, go through.
Speaker 4 (24:50):
A full day of classes.
Speaker 5 (24:51):
Then right after you're you're doing even more workouts in
the afternoon. But I mean, that's that's what that's what
high school football is all about. So I mean I
wouldn't sa a single thing about it.
Speaker 1 (25:01):
But you were a bit different because you took some
time during your day to study pro players, like literally
look at their film while you were in high school.
Speaker 4 (25:11):
Yeah.
Speaker 5 (25:12):
Yeah, I mean I think that for me was more
so just trying to learn the position more just because
I didn't grow up playing football. I grew up playing basketball.
So during that time, I would just any any free
time I would have, and I'm not hanging out with
my friends, I would at the time, like I just
go on YouTube and just search up you know, Tyron
(25:33):
Smith highlights there or like Cowboys, like full games, just
because I knew like Tyrone was playing back then, and
just you know, watching watching his film, watching the way
he moves, watching the way he maneuvers himself on the field.
And for me, I mean it was it was pretty entertaining,
but I was also watching it to see if I could,
you know, find any ways that I could get better.
Speaker 1 (25:55):
You were a basketball player first, and you were traveling
all over to play, Yes, sir, Yes, sir, aau. So
when did that love change? Does basketball remain your first
love or once you got to the football field and
you started embracing that contact.
Speaker 5 (26:10):
What if I'm being honest, I mean I liked basketball
a lot, but I wouldn't say it was my first love.
Football is for sure my first love, and that's that's
a sport I've been passionate about since the day I
started playing With basketball, it was more so like I
had fun playing the game. I did it to, you know,
to as an extracurricular outside of school and to keep
(26:33):
myself busy and in shape.
Speaker 4 (26:35):
But football, by far, by far the first love.
Speaker 1 (26:39):
And you didn't start playing until freshman year of high school. Yes, sir, So,
do you consider yourself right now as a guy with
tremendous upside Because a lot of players coming out of
the draft maybe they started playing flag football whenever six
years old? Where you started playing football? Where you're what
(26:59):
thirteen four?
Speaker 4 (27:00):
Yeah?
Speaker 5 (27:00):
Yeah, yeah, I mean yeah, I like to think about
it that as I have, like I have a tremendous upside.
But I feel like that that should be a mentality
from every from any rookie. You know, you're you're entering
a completely different environment than college football, and you can
only get better. So with me, I'm always gonna have
the same mentality every day, you know, I'm gonna do
(27:20):
things out of lign with winning and improving myself day
by day.
Speaker 1 (27:25):
How do you get better at Penn State?
Speaker 5 (27:26):
At Penn State, for me, it was just competing. It
was all about competing, you know, competing with myself, trying
to out do myself every day and also trying to
I'll do my teammates. But we we all we all
have the same mentality of trying to out do each
other because we all knew, you know, our coach would
always tell us, you know, the more you compete with
each other, you know, the more you're gonna, you know,
(27:47):
improve each other's skills. And that was the same type
of mentality that we had every single day, every single lift,
every single practice.
Speaker 4 (27:53):
All right.
Speaker 1 (27:54):
So speaking about competitions, how were there those on feel
practice battles between you and Chop Robinson, a fellow first
round pick.
Speaker 4 (28:04):
There are wars, Yeah, it was it was a war.
Speaker 5 (28:06):
I'm so thankful that I had the opportunity to battle
against not only Chop but adisa a Disa Isaac who
who's most likely going to be a second round pick tonight.
You know, just getting that opportunity to go against two
of those guys every day, honestly, I mean, it was
fighting for my life.
Speaker 4 (28:24):
But honestly, I'm so.
Speaker 5 (28:25):
Glad I had that opportunity to go against them because
they definitely got me better. I got them better. You know,
obviously everyone knows the term iron sharpens iron, and they
truly made games a lot easier for me.
Speaker 1 (28:36):
As far as the stats thereup at the State. You
never give up a sack.
Speaker 5 (28:40):
I think it's between me not giving up any sacks
or giving up one sack. Like if I did give
up a sack, I don't think it was clean, but
you know, it's whatever that person thinks it is.
Speaker 4 (28:53):
Well, we gotta let you go. It's been a heck
of a week. Or really want to.
Speaker 1 (28:59):
Express our congratulations to you and your family and welcome
to Jeff.
Speaker 4 (29:03):
Yes, sir, happy to be here. M m m
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