How did you first get into football?

It was because of my dad. He played cornerback for Butler University and so he got me into it at a very young age. I was always playing and always watching football. We had this 100-pound punching bag and he would make me tackle it for practice.

What made you choose Oberlin?

I got badly injured my senior year of high school. I got speared on a kickoff return and got compartment syndrome on my left leg. I only played a game and a half [that season], so most of the schools that were recruiting me stopped. Oberlin kept recruiting me and gave me a shot, so I ended up visiting and loving it. Plus, it’s just a great school. You can’t really beat the academics, especially in Ohio, because I didn’t want to go far away.

Are there any players that you look up to?

No, not really. I’ve never really thought about that. I like to watch [Pittsburgh Steelers safety] Troy Polamalu play.

Were you at all nervous about the possibility of no NFL season because of the lockout?

No, I knew the season was going to happen. There was no chance of it not happening. There was too much at stake and everyone had too much to lose. Eventually, they were going to come together. Lost revenue lines and disappointed fans would have been too much for there to be no season.

Are you a Browns fan?

No. [Green Bay] Packers fan actually, again because of my dad.

What can we expect from Oberlin football this season?

We’re a lot more disciplined as a team. There is a lot of experience, and it’s going to come through in our play. [Junior quarterback] Josh Mandel has really come along and I think we have an awesome receiving corps. [Junior] David Kalgren and [senior] Shawn Chrapczynski are probably two of the best cornerbacks in the league.

You were personally honored by d3football.com for your performance in last week’s 42-0 win against Kenyon. How did that feel?

[It felt] pretty awesome, actually. I didn’t even know until [junior wide receiver] Adam [Niec] said something about OC Athletics tweeting at me. I had no idea. It was awesome. It felt really good because I felt like I played pretty well against Kenyon. It was nice to get noticed.

Does the long hair ever get in the way of you making a play?

No, it just has flow. [Senior defensive lineman] Jack Hochendoner, [junior defensive back] Matt Richard and I just all sort of started growing it out. I don’t even know where we got it from. I thought it might be really hot and annoying, but after a while you get used to it and you don’t even notice it anymore. It was a good decision.

Since the soccer locker room is right next to the football locker room, I can always hear some interesting music playing in there before practice. What are some team favorites?

[Laughs.]Oh man. We listen to a lot. We like oldies. Like Sam Cooke’s “Change Will Come.” There is this song, a cover of a Bob Dylan song by Billy Paul called “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” We will blast that all the time. It’s a wide variety. Some days will be country days. Other days will be really hardcore gangster rap. And then you’ve got boy band days thrown in.

Do you guys have any interesting stories or rituals that you want to share?

That’s a hard one to answer. The offensive linemen before practice get this net out in that little swamp area by North Fields and they catch frogs before practice. They have a strict catch and release policy. I don’t know where it came from, but they made a net and started catching frogs and then they released them right afterwards.

I know the football team always puts out a pretty competitive intramural basketball team. What can we expect from you guys on the court?

Oh, we’re going to be good. We’re physical and we’re fast. We’ve got [senior tight end] Danny [Enright] as our 6’8” guy, so that helps.

What do you think about the addition of the OC Cheer squad?

I like it. It’s cool to have some support and they get the fans pumped up. I’ve heard good things from the parents. The parents love them. It was kind of funny to think about though, at first. We have an Oberlin cheer squad? [Laughs.]