On what stood out about his visit to Washington:
"Yeah, I mean, I think you just come in the building, he's great people, great vibes. Come in the building, Coach Norton [Linebackers Coach Ken Norton Jr.], he's bringing a bunch of juice, the LB's coach. So, everything just felt right all the way to Coach Jones [Defensive Coordinator Daronte Jones], DC, Coach Quinn [Head Coach Dan Quinn], Mr. Peters [General Manager Adam Peters], every meeting just felt like it was it. And I left the building that day and I was like, man, I feel like I'm going to be Commander. So, now I'm excited it happened, that's the perfect place to be."
On his conversations with Norton and Jones:
"Oh man, it was great. Coach Norton, he has a lot of belief in me and I think the biggest thing that we talked about, he talked about I'm only scratching the surface despite, I think I had a solid career, but he knows there's still so much more to unlock and I appreciate him for believing me. And I think Coach Jones, man, I just talked a lot to him. Talked to him at the building, at Top Golf, spent a lot of time talking, just talking ball, learning about me. I just felt like the people in the building really believed in me."
On where he made the biggest jump as a linebacker last year:
"I think I really improved on tackling. I missed quite a few tackles my junior year and obviously the name of the game as a backer is get the ball on the ground, and I thought my block description got a lot better from junior, senior year. But still a lot of more work to do. Like I said, there's so much more to unlock."
On moving from safety to linebacker:
"Yeah, I mean, you're used to at safety, you're 10 yards away from the ball. Things are happening a little slower, you got more time and space to make things happen. Now you're moving to five yards, now things are happening faster now. You get off blocks, make tackles, the offensive linework climbing to you. So, it was just an adjustment really just being closer to the ball. Things are happening faster. And then probably my footwork being a linebacker, footwork is crucial. If you late, you're done. So, I think that was something I really had to work on with my feet getting right. And that's still something I'm still trying to work on, get better at."
On getting drafted by the Commanders:
"Man, so much joy. So much joy. So blessed. I told my whole family this morning, I was like, I'm going to be a Commander. And like, no one really thought. So, I just had this feeling, I'm super excited, I love this organization, I love the people. I walked away from that building, I told one of my teammates here, what was different about Washington? I said the people in the building, just a bunch of great people. So, I'm super excited to be a part of that."
On getting the call from the Commanders:
"Bro, I couldn't believe it at first. It said spam risk, I got nervous. I showed it to my agent, he was like you're good. And answered the phone to Mr. Peters. That was amazing. Talked to him, talked to Coach Quinn, Mr. Harris [Managing Partner Josh Harris], the owner. It was awesome. Super blessed. I told Coach Quinn on the phone, before I left, before I left the visit, I told him, I said, 'Hopefully I'll be back soon.' So, I was like, we were on the phone, I was like, 'Coach, I told you.'"
On the coaching staff's vision for him:
"I think especially with Coach Norton and Coach DJ, they kind of see me being able to do a multiple of roles, whether it be Mike, Will, or Sam, they think I do all three at a high level. And just based on what we have in the room I think they're going to try and find the best position for me possible to help the team win. I know we got a lot of other talented guys in the room as well."
*On leading a defense: *"Yeah, I think I'm a natural people person, but I think the biggest thing coming in as a rookie you're not just going to immediately be a leader. It's more so by the way you work, earn the respect of everyone around you by showing up to work every day, doing what you're supposed to, great attitude, great energy, doing your job, especially when you get out there for OTA's and things like that. Knowing my playbook and all those things, I think that's going to earn the respect of the vets. And eventually if I do become the green thought guy, if that were to happen, yeah, you gotta be able to lead the guys, that's kind of part of the job. So, I'm willing to do that for sure."
On the importance of his jersey number at Ohio State:
"Yeah, Block O recipient was after Bill Willis. One of the first African American players in the NFL, coach Paul Brown actually drafted him. So, it's pretty cool. He is an Ohio State coach, obviously a legend. So, it's really after integrity, character and the kind of teammate you are, the kind of person you are, it really has nothing to do with who you are on the field. And getting that number my last year, it meant the world to me because my freshman year I came in seeing guys like Kam Babb [Former Ohio State WR Kamryn Babb], [Former Ohio State WR] Xavier Johnson, [Former Ohio State LB] Cody Simon. I looked up to those guys throughout my first three years, and I was hoping I could aspire to be like those men, just who they were off the field. And then to get that number my last year, I mean, it was just a blessing. It was a full circle moment, I was hoping I could be an inspiration to a younger guy in our locker room this past year."
On what the fanbase should know about him:
"Oh, man, I'm super excited and I love ball. I'm a football junkie, so I'm going to put my all into it. I'm going to get better each and every week. I'm obsessed with winning and I'm bringing great energy to the building. I'm just super excited to get to work. I really believe in this organization and I'm glad they believe in me, so I'm ready."
