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December 29, 2023 • 12 mins
In this episode of the Packers POV podcast, wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks talks about being recruited to the University of Virginia, details his pre-draft visit to Green Bay and shares where his competitiveness comes from.

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Episode Transcript

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Speaker 1 (00:05):
Hello, and welcome to Packers POV, a podcast that aims
to shine a light on the human behind the helmet.
I'm your host, Taylor Rodgers, and we are here inside
historic Lambeau Field. Today's guests set the single season record
for receiving yards at the University of Virginia while earning
first team All ACC honors, and now in the NFL,

(00:26):
he leads all rookies in yards per reception. I'm thrilled
to welcome Packers rookie receiver don Tavian Wicks. How's it going, Tay.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
It's going good. Thank you for having good I'm so
glad you're here.

Speaker 1 (00:38):
And I just heard you had a gift exchange recently.

Speaker 3 (00:41):
Yeah, yeah, sir, So we did a game Kaw White Elephant.
Which a group do I think the quarterbacks go in
with the old line, do it?

Speaker 2 (00:51):
So we go in.

Speaker 3 (00:52):
We have a minimum. We all have a minimum as
a group, and everybody just get those gifts in. When
the time come, we are got to pick a spot,
you know, to be in to pick gifts. And the
last spight is the best spot, which I got so.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
Yeah, so look of the draw, what'd you end up getting?

Speaker 2 (01:10):
I got a lot of stuff.

Speaker 3 (01:10):
I got an iPad, some Doja Gabana uh shades, and
then I got some shoes and also Apple Watch.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
So yeah, man, that's a nice haul right there.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Yeah, I got a lot of stuff shot out ron
rom with the gift.

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Okay, Romeo, Well that's pretty phenomenal. That's a good way
to head into the new year. Yeah, yeah, sir, Well
so happy to have you. And I know originally you
were from Louisiana, but you actually got recruited to University
Virginia via social media. Can tell us that story.

Speaker 3 (01:42):
So I was just on Twitter one day, you know,
it was in a November and I already had some
like smaller office from schools in Louisiana and like a
couple of small, smaller.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
FCS schools and out of state.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
And then I went to Twitter one day and I
got this text from Jordan Arsmith, that was the scout
at UVA. He just was telling me, you know, he
liked my film and the coaches there, you know, think
I can have a great career there, and they wanted
to come down and see me on a visit. So
the coaches just came down to Louisiana. Coach Haggins my
receiver coach. He came watch a couple of basketball games.

(02:18):
He came to the house and he offered me. It
was two weeks before signing day. I took an official visit.
You know, I ain't know what I was getting myself into,
you know, but I liked it. My mama liked it,
so you know, we thought that would be a good fit.
And I already wanted to get away from home, so
I just took that. You know, it was the biggest
opportunity for me to get my name out there and

(02:40):
play acency football, big time football, and also have a
great degree from a great university.

Speaker 1 (02:46):
And I find it interesting that he came down to
Louisiana and watched you actually play hoops.

Speaker 3 (02:51):
Yeah, he came to a lot of a few games,
like at least four of them, so you know, I
think he liked what he's seen, you know, on the court,
so he kept coming into the games.

Speaker 1 (03:00):
Were you nervous at all? And how did you play?

Speaker 2 (03:03):
I played good well.

Speaker 3 (03:04):
So one game he came to UH there was a
lot of stuff going on in the stands, so they
was fighting in the stands, and he always talked about that.
But all the other games I played good. You know,
I was a hooper before I played football, so that
was just a normal thing.

Speaker 1 (03:23):
I've seen some of your tape on huddle, your physical
kind of like how you are in football. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (03:28):
The thing my coach wanted me to do is just
get the ball, you know, the type of the key,
make a move, go to the go, and thunk the ball.
That was my mindset. I wanted to always dunk on people,
So that's what I did. I just get to buy
the type of the key. Everybody spread out, just get
twenty points like that, just like that.

Speaker 2 (03:44):
Yeah, that's cool.

Speaker 1 (03:45):
Now you mentioned coach Hagan, and you've described that relationship
like a real brother relationship. What brought you guys close?

Speaker 3 (03:53):
I would say, like adversity. We've been through a lot
together on me coming in my first year. And then
also I would say he made away from me giving
me the opportunity to you know, come down and play
in Virginia. He believed in me, you know when nobody else,
you know, a lot of people you know, overlooked me.
So that started the bond, you know right there, I knew,

(04:15):
I just knew he believed in me from the start,
you know, and we always talked about this moment right here,
you know, from the start of my college career, and
he held me to that standard, you know, so the
bond just built every year. And then also like family
side coaches, family, you know, great family. I look at
his sons like my brothers, and his wife like my mama,

(04:39):
so they all come in hand, you know together. They
was just a family away from family, you know, in Virginia,
being far away from Louisiana. So when I ain't have
my family down there, they was there like family.

Speaker 1 (04:51):
That sounds like a really special setup. Yeah. That doesn't
happen very often.

Speaker 2 (04:56):
Don't, don't, uh, you know, and I'm grateful for that.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
You mentioned this moment here. Is there anything that he
taught you that you brought with you here?

Speaker 3 (05:05):
Yeah, I mean he taught me a lot of stuff,
just the standard I play at.

Speaker 2 (05:09):
You know, he ingrained that in.

Speaker 3 (05:10):
Us as a receiver group in Virginia, you know, like
the blocking and finishing to the ball and helping our
teammates up it. Just bringing great, great energy and momentum
to the offense. So just doing that and keeping that
standard throughout my first year in the league, it's just
been it's been good. For me, and also just sticking
to the details, having a routine, making sure I take

(05:33):
care of the small details because it's gonna lead to
bigger things.

Speaker 2 (05:35):
It's a lot he done.

Speaker 3 (05:36):
Taught me, you know, going through my whole four years
in college that I keep today.

Speaker 1 (05:41):
It sounds like he really set you up for your
next recruitment, Yeah, which was to the Packers And what
stands out to you from your pre draft visit to
Green Bay.

Speaker 3 (05:51):
So when I came here on a visit, I walked
out on the field, you know, and I just visited
myself playing on the field.

Speaker 2 (05:56):
And that's big time because I think.

Speaker 3 (05:58):
About that all the time, just coming here on a visit,
you know, not knowing where I would end up at
the end of April, and being able to end up
here on one of the only visits I came on.

Speaker 2 (06:09):
I went on four and this was one of the ones.
You know.

Speaker 3 (06:13):
Just thinking about that situation, it give me chills, you know,
because a lot of people want to be in a
position I'm in, you know, and everybody don't get to.
So just doing whatever I can and as much as
I can with the opportunity.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
You've done a lot, and this has been a really
impressive year as far as accolades go. And in just
the span of three weeks, you graduated from Virginia and
got drafted by the Packers.

Speaker 2 (06:38):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:38):
Yeah, that's big time because my mama, that's the only
thing she was worried about was the graduation.

Speaker 2 (06:44):
And I knew that would make her happy, so I
had to do it.

Speaker 3 (06:47):
That's the part of the reason why I didn't come
out the Every year, they all for for you to
finish out school so that, you know, I can make
her happy, even when I'm making myself happy going to
the league and you know, living out my dream. It
was the biggest time around, the biggest month of my.

Speaker 2 (07:00):
Life, the draft.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
This year's NFL Draft began by honoring three UVA football
players who tragically lost their lives last year, Lavelle Davis Junior,
Devin Chandler, and Deshaun Perry. What did that moment mean
to you?

Speaker 2 (07:15):
I met a lot. Then it was my brothers who
was all close. You know.

Speaker 3 (07:19):
I came in with DeShawn Leavelle and Devon was in
my group, you know, so they looked up to me
and I always you know, it was always around. That
was a big one for me, But you know, getting
drafted and graduating, I knew it was always something they
talked about, so me living it, living it through you know,
I knew they was living through me, and I know

(07:40):
they still live. So every time I go out on
the field, step on the field, you know, I got
to be at my best no matter how I feel,
because I know, like I said, it's people that want
to be in this position and that can't. So now
that I had opportunity, you know, it's just how to
do how I do it.

Speaker 1 (07:56):
And you stepped onto the field and shared a picture
of your cleats from the Chargers game with the numbers one, fifteen,
and forty one written on them in honor of Lavelle,
Devin and Deshaun. What emotions were you feeling as you
did that?

Speaker 2 (08:11):
Man?

Speaker 3 (08:12):
You know, last month was a big month for me,
a down month because you know, everything happened, you know,
in that month was like the middle of November. So
you know, I just want to honor them and make
sure they family knew that know that I'm honoring them
every day I step out on the field, you know,
because I know they still going through it and.

Speaker 2 (08:32):
It's hard for them because I know it's hard.

Speaker 3 (08:34):
For me, so seeing them go through, I just got
to honor them, give everything I got on the field,
be the best I can be, you know, and then after,
you know, get them all the glory and get a
glory to God.

Speaker 1 (08:46):
You had a pretty amazing game, a team best ninety
one yards in that performance.

Speaker 2 (08:51):
It meant a lot, man, because just the timing.

Speaker 3 (08:54):
I had my mind set, I gotta go out and
do something, make a play, don't matter how many, make
a big play. And I did that. I just had that,
you know, the mindset. I always had a mindset, but
that was a big game for me. Man, I just
had a feeling, you know, the whole game at that
was the game and you know, like I said, the

(09:16):
timing of it, it was all put together.

Speaker 1 (09:19):
People here at Lambeau are starting to pick up on
your mindset. Head coach Matt Lafleur had this to say
about you recently. He obviously has special talent. I love
his competitive nature. Where does that competitive nature come from?
You know?

Speaker 3 (09:35):
I was always been like being competitive, you know, I
always wanted to compete. But building off of you know,
everything I've been through and adversity, it's taught me a
lot about being competitive and no matter how it's going,
compete always, you know, because it's never ending. So being
able to compete, you know, it helped me out a lot.

(09:57):
It take my mind off a lot when I'm out there.
I'm out there sixty minutes or whatever we got for practice,
it's time to go. So like just like last week,
like the ankle thing, Man, I wasn't thinking about that
on the field, you know, because I stepped out there
and I told them I could place, so I was.
But yeah, that's that's a big thing. I try to,

(10:17):
you know, stay on being competitive so I can make
a game fun and have fun with it and you know,
not be down when I'm out there.

Speaker 1 (10:25):
We're learning about the player. Tough, driven do Tavian Wix.
What do people need to know about the person?

Speaker 3 (10:32):
Man with funk guy, love people, you know, love kids,
and I always want to help.

Speaker 2 (10:38):
I'm here for everybody. So yeah, I just.

Speaker 3 (10:40):
Want people to know, you know, outside of the helmet,
I'm a people's person. A lot of people think I'm
on top, but you know, I'm more of a talking
than people think.

Speaker 2 (10:50):
So I would say, just getting to know me, you
see a better side of me.

Speaker 1 (10:55):
You said recently in the locker room that at some
point having a business that would help out kids would
be really important in something you want to do.

Speaker 3 (11:03):
Why is that because I knew, you know, growing up,
I didn't have the resources you know that a lot
of people have. I didn't have somebody on me or
helping me, you know, with in the sports thing. You know,
I was just out me. I had my mama, you know,
that was my biggest supporter, and she could only do
so much. But the biggest thing is development, helping develop

(11:24):
kids young at a younger age so when it's that time,
they already know what they how, they feel, what they want,
instead of like me coming into eleventh grade still not
knowing what I would be doing after, you know, after
high school if it wasn't for football, basketball.

Speaker 2 (11:40):
Uh So that's the.

Speaker 3 (11:41):
Biggest thing, you know, And I think like I got
a lot of people, uh you know, just in the streets.
So it's just like helping that situation out and just
keeping the younger kids out out of that situation, you know,
giving them a different path, you know, to follow, and
giving them a role model.

Speaker 1 (11:58):
You mentioned your mom, Is there anything you'd like to
say to her?

Speaker 2 (12:01):
Now I say everything I.

Speaker 3 (12:03):
Do is for you, for you, for my mom and
a family. You know she she knew I love her
to death and everything I got is hers.

Speaker 1 (12:10):
That's a beautiful way to close. Thank you so much.
Tay really appreciate the time. Man appreciate too, and thank
you for listening to Packers POV. To learn more about
what Tay is doing off the field, visit his instagram
Dontavian Underscore, Take care and see you next time.
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