Episode 13 - Isaac Weaver

To, refresh and recharge for season two, we got a lot of great things in store and we hope you're ready to tune in. All right. Now, to the episode,

Isaac just recently completed OTAs and rookie mini camp with the chargers. Welcome

And it was just something that my mom never really was fully bought in on, honestly. And then finally she, she caved and, and let me play that really thankful for that. But I don't think I really realized I could, you know, keep on playing football until. And mainly my sophomore, junior year of high school was when our, our coach does a pretty good job.

Our, my, my head high school head coach did a pretty good job with helping recruiting and kind of preparing you for the journey and kind of setting expectations and, and kind of letting you know what the college coaches who were coming by school were saying and all that stuff. And so I think it's when I started getting a little bit of that interest that I kind of realized, oh, I can actually do this at the next level. What

And, and he's really just got me, you know, ready to do all that type of stuff. But I don't think I was really too heavily recruited. You know, aside from ODU, obviously they offered me, there was a few other FBS schools and a handful of FCS ones. But I think we're really. Drew me to ODU was, I mean, I'll be honest with you. I hadn't heard of until they started recruiting me and, you know, being from Georgia, it's a little bit of a drive from Virginia Beach or Norfolk area and all that stuff.

And it was, you know, a smaller school at the time and something that I just really wasn't familiar with. And so I remember, you know, getting a message from my mom or, well, I was, I was with my mom getting a message from coach Forrest at the time. He's he, he was my recruitment coach and he was like, Hey man, have you ever heard of ODU? We'd love to get you on a visit. And I told him the truth. I was like, I haven't heard of y'all, but I'd love to come and visit.

And when I got there, it really just kind of blew me away. I mean the campus was awesome. It was it, I think it honestly had the like an advantage of me never having heard of it, cuz I had. Almost no, no, you know, idea of what it might be. And so, like the first impression I got the coach put on for me and the first impression of, I guess, the students that were on campus then, and the area that it was, then it really just blew me away. And that's kind of what sold me on it.

It was one of the schools that I just kind of felt like I, I, you know, if I lost that offer, if they pulled it, if they took some other guys, then I would be pretty upset with myself. And that's kind of when I realized that's where I wanted be.

And I knew that that was a place that I was gonna be happy and I went ahead and committed and, you know, I never really looked back from that decision. I was, you know, committed a hundred percent until the day I signed and I was a Monarch, you know, even, even still today, Monarch, you know, for the rest of my life. So,

And even just like mentally with having to learn a new offense, he was, you know, he was very much so prepping me for the fact that, Hey man, you might get there and you're probably gonna red shirt. And he kept on like, reassuring me. He was like, red shirting is the best thing for you. It is one of the best things that can ever happen in your football career. And so when I got to school, I was kind of prepared for that.

And the mentality I took into camp that fall was basically just, you know, I, at that point I really didn't have anything to lose. I was a new guy on the team. I was just gonna play as hard as I could. And for I ever played pretty well. And then when they told me I was retroing, I was like, okay, that's fine. Like, I feel like I set myself up for the future, but in the back of my mind, and they told me as well, when I did that, they were like, you're gonna develop, you're gonna gain weight.

You're gonna get stronger. You're gonna learn the offense. And the one thing that I remember, they told me a bunch was, are you gonna be better as a fifth year senior or true freshman? Because that the end of the day, that's the season that you trade when you don't red shirt. And in my mind, I was like, yeah, I'll be better as a red shirt, senior. And that was kind, you know, something that I wasn't too upset about. Admit, I,

At least when you red shirt now it's like, okay, well you can still, you know, get your four games in. You can still see the field and see what it's like. You know, back back when I was a freshman, you were kind of it out,

He was one of the, like one of the smartest guys I've met, but he just, the nicest guy in the world. He, you know, I think the first, the first plays I ever took in team were with him and he was feeding me the plays, like do this on this play, cuz I was, you know, out there for my first ever time I was completely lost. And so he was a huge anchor for me and then he continued to be there the rest of the way.

But the other guy, I think that I, you know, would have to give a big shout out to is is Nick Clark. And him and I are still super close to this day. We were roommates actually.

Once I moved off campus and everything but he, you know, through his entire time there with what we were there together, you know, he helped me have a ton, you know, showed me kind of, you know, how you wanna act as a college football player, how you wanna, how you have to, you know, all the extra stuff you have to do in order to be successful. And just kind of, you know, was really, I think, influential in a lot of ways.

Yeah, it was last year and he you know, he, he runs a great show and he, you know, he, he knew what he was doing and, and all the, all the kids that were there, they absolutely loved it. And it seemed like they all got a lot of stuff out of it. And so, and I know he really enjoys doing that, which is also a pretty big thing. So I'm, I'm really happy to see him doing so well with stuff like that.

How difficult is the process of learning each and perhaps having to play more than one in the same game? Like what kind of mentality do you have to do when you're playing guard versus

Tackle at the end of the season, you know, like maybe at the end of a game, we're up, we're throw you in there and, and throw you that bone. And it never happened. So it's a bone. I still gotta pick with him about that. Cuz you know, he, he's not stick to his word about that. So, you know, that's something that, that bugs me a little bit. But to your point to your question it is something that's pretty difficult.

I think it's something that a lot of people don't necessarily realize that each position, you know, you look out and you sort of field. And so most people offensive, linemen are just offensive, linemen they're interchangeable and it doesn't really matter what position you're playing center is. The same as left tackle is the same as right guard as left guard. And in reality it's they, they all have.

You know, there are differences, you know, even as basic as the stance is, is, is different and the, the angles that you use for your sets and that changes a lot of stuff. And it's something that, you know, I'm, you know, I'm thankful, I think that I've been able to play all these different positions. And I think it goes, I think it's another credit to my coaches.

Who've, you know, kind of prepped me for that and told me, Hey, you know, they, they saw that I had the ability to maybe do something like that and said, Hey, we're gonna take advantage of this. Like, we want you to be able to do all this different stuff. But like, you know, mentality wise and everything, I think once you learn the plays, especially being as old as I was in this offense. Cause it was something I mostly did this past season was, was all this swaping across the offensive line.

I think just the fact that I'd, you know, I, I I'd played as much football as I had. And I had all this experience that they kind of trusted that, okay. He knows what he's gonna do wherever he goes across this line. So we can kind of put 'em in there and then it was all, you know, you gotta prepare, you know, and learn the different techniques. And at the end of the day, like it's the same techniques.

It just changes a little bit here and there, depending on, you know, the angles you're using and stuff like that. And I think that's kind of the tough part. But it's something that, you know, is valuable and I hope that it's something that can, you know, keep me playing football for some few years to come here.

Can you tell us a little bit about all the pre-snap responsibilities that a center has.

So that's the, I say that's the main responsibility of this center is you have to be able to sit down and ID the defense and let everyone know based on this display. This is the, the, the key that we're working off of, and that sets everyone else's assignments and responsibilities. And you also need to be able to change, change things when, when situations arise. I mean, if, if the defense is showing a certain blitz look it's really on every. To be able to change the play.

But at the end of the day, in my opinion, the burden usually falls to the center. He does have, he's sitting right in the middle. He's got a better view of everything than everyone. Now, obviously the tackles can see the edge of the field much, much better, but at the end of the day, they can see, you know, defenses will beat you into stuff. Like they might be showing something on the play side. And in reality, it's coming on the backside.

But like, you don't, you don't, you can't see that at one side, you can only see that from such a central position. And so those are the big ones. And really just the biggest thing is making sure that everyone's on the same page. We like, there's, there's a saying, I feel like that goes around football all the time.

That the worst thing you know, the worst thing that can happen is, is half the line's doing one thing half the line's doing the other, like if, if everyone is wrong, but they're, they're doing the wrong thing together. You got a good shot of being, right.

So as long as like I make a call and all five of us do the same thing, like something good has a better chance of happening comparatively to, if I, you know, I say something to the left side or they're going left and the right side's going right. And all of a sudden, no one's blocking the, the defensive tackle sitting in the middle. Like that's a recipe for disaster. So,

I mean, I was leaned over and Tony and I were screaming basically in each other's ear, trying to figure out the call because like I said, like we needed to know that information and that that's made it tough. And the other thing that becomes difficult is trying to hear the snap count which when, when we're we were in environments like that, or when you're in environments like that at any level of football, you start going to silent counts.

And so it really is just based off of the centers kind of whenever the center wants to go, you know, and it's, so that's, that's a different thing. That's something you gotta practice and get, get used to. But it really just boils down to when you're in that kind of environment, it's, overcommunication over communication. You gotta make sure everyone gets those calls. But it definitely makes things more difficult. But at the end of the day, you kind of gotta figure it out as you go.

And I guess use a little bit of intuition if the center makes a key and you know, the game plan, you, you know, like, okay, I know what everyone's doing. I can, I can do my assignment now. It's it is, it comes back to that preparation.

But I think the one, the one memory that sticks out to me I remember I was living with Nick at the time and we, we were going out right before right before Jeremy ran that last touchdown to put the score up of 49 and I guess we didn't, we didn't really need to run, run that play there. I like, we, I don't think they had timeouts. There was not a lot of time on the clock. I don't remember the specific time, but there, like the game was like wrapped up and done.

And so I remember we're walking out of the field and they just told us like, Hey, we're gonna run this one, play. Like, it was, it was basically just like, we're going out with a bang. We're gonna run this one play here, you get one sh they told Jim, you got one shot at it. And if not, we're just kneeing it down. And and I just remember going out there with Nick and he, he turned to me, he was like, Hey man, like, like this game's done. Like we won this game.

And I looked up at the scoreboard and I was like, yeah, you know what? You're right, man, we really did win this game. And it was just, it was one of those things that were, that was like the moment where it finally hit, hit me, where I was like, oh, we, we actually did this thing. You know, cuz it's coming in oh three, you know, they're the 13th team in the country coming to coming to the home. And it was just I don't, that was the moment that finally hit me.

And I that's probably the one memory. I I'll probably remember that forever. You

So like the first group would practice special teams with the second group and then the second group would practice and then they'd do their special teams again with the third group. I mean, it was one of the most. Insane practice schedules I've ever seen. And it was at a necessity, but I remember when we got told the news, we were in a zoom and it was, you know, it's camp. So we, we have all these team meetings regardless.

So having a team meeting at night, wasn't weird, but we get into the team meeting and all the coaches are in the, in the zoom. Cause we were zooming. We didn't meet in person. So all, but all the coaches were in there. And then you start seeing like, oh, like Dr. Sea's in this meeting, that's weird. Like that's not supposed to happen. Like this is a team meeting, you know, he doesn't go to those. Like we usually talk about football stuff.

He's usually, you know, he's got, he's got his athletic director stuff to do, but I remember having that, having that meeting and then, you know, them telling us the news and then, you know, it was just, it was one of those things where it was kind of a tough to believe. And at the time we thought, you know, we thought everyone was gonna cancel shut down by the end of the week. And then that never happens. And then you sit there at home and you have to watch.

You know, watch all these teams play football, do do the thing you love to do. And that that's tough. Like that was definitely a little bit brutal. But I mean, looking back at it now, there was definitely some good stuff that came up. I think it gave the team a big edge going into 20, 20 20, 21. I think it, I think it grew us closer as a team than, than a team I've ever been on.

Like that was, that was probably that 2021 team was one of the closest teams I've ever been a part of, probably the closest. And I think it's because we went through, you know, that type of event together and we had this thing to kind of rally behind. And then I guess like the interesting things that might have happened. So we ended up, we did end up getting to go on the field. And so we got like 15 practices.

So we basically did spring practice in the fall, which is different, you know, but it, I think everyone was just pretty excited to get out there and actually get to play a little bit of football again, even if it was just in a practice capacity. So I guess like the interesting thing is it kind of felt like it gave, you know, practice and do light.

At least for me, it did, like in the past, like practice was always, it wasn't like a bear, but you know, it wasn't necessarily the, oh, like it's the most fun thing in the world. Like sometimes, sometimes practice is a drag. That's just kind of the reality of it. Like everyone loves playing football, they love it. And they'll tell you like, oh, football's the best. Football's the best. Football's the best.

But like going to practice every day, sometimes, you know, it can get a little monotonous. So I think having that taken away and then letting us go out there. And then getting to go out there and, and be on the field, even if it was just to practice was a blessing. So I think it kind of gave practice and put football into this big perspective. Like this can really be taken away at any point, you know, in your life.

So we better appreciate it for, you know, while we have it while we know we have it because you never know what's gonna happen. Well, it's good to

That was the first time that we had ever gotten on the field with coach and his new staff. Cause we had spring ball canceled. So we really just gone through a winter workout cycle and then went home for months. And then we came back and did three fake practices and then we got sent home again. So like we got to go out there and we got to kind of understand how he likes to run his practice.

We got to understand his, you know, his style of coaching and all of his, you know, all the whole entire coaching staff, how they operate and how they like to do stuff. And it really gave us a ton of, you know, background in that offensive defense. It really led us learn and kind of marinate in that. And I think that helped a ton when we got around to playing games.

Cuz you know, even though it was our first season with coach Ronnie and, and, and that whole staff, like we'd really been in that system for over a year, which I think helped us a lot. So

I remember when they left the team, they were, they were one of, some of the guys that were encouraging me to stay at O they wanted to see me, you know, remain there and they wanted to see me help, you know, the, the, the new team kinda like, you know, just come back and come back stronger, which. I'm super thankful for, and I'm super thankful I ended up doing that, but, you know, he was, he was a guy that I, I think I did.

I definitely learned a lot from, I mean, he, I was elected a team or he made me a team captain in 2019. And so he kind of started showing me, you know, the ropes about this is kinda, you know, like sat, sat me down and was like, this is kind what I think you've done. Well, this is what I think you can improve on.

And I think that's something that's super valuable, you know, for anybody, especially for me, when I was at such a, you know, turning point in my career where it's like, you know, you need to be able to sit down and look and say, I do this well, I don't do this that well, let's work on these weaknesses and try to become, you know, better or better in, in, in everything.

But I think, you know, he, he did a really good job you know, with the start of the program and, and, and, you know, taking it as far as he did. And, and I do owe a lot to him for helping me get there and, and, and, you know, being in a place I am today,

Can you talk to us a little bit more about, obviously you had to meet coach Ronnie, you had to meet the staff, tell us what solidified you staying and, and not going for another opportunity. And then talk to us just like you did about coach water, about coach Ronnie and, and kind of what it's like playing under him.

It, it, I mean, honestly it kind of felt like recruiting a little bit again, where it was like, you know, this is what I imagine for the team. This is what I imagine is your role and the team's gonna be, and this is, you know, I think you should obviously is like, I think you should stay here and this is what we're gonna do when you do stay here. And I think it was that meeting that really solidified it for me, that this is the place I'm gonna be.

And, and like, There's a, there's a big, big part of me that didn't wanna leave. You know, a big part of me didn't wanna leave because you know, it, it, ODU felt such, felt like such a, it was, it was such my team. That's what it felt like. It was, you know, I was obviously like, you know, voted a team captain and, and I felt like, you know, I didn't wanna leave all my friends and, and all the guys, all the people that had, you know, trusted me to become a leader.

And then obviously that built on top of the fact that, you know, coach Ron believed in me so much to, to, you know, tell me his, his plan for the organization and kind of his thought process behind it.

And, you know, hearing everything and, and hearing what he, you know, his, where he knew that this program could go, it, it really sold me and, and made me realize there was, you know, may, maybe I could have transferred and, and played somewhere else and one game somewhere else, but it wouldn't have felt the same to me, you know, even, you know, to, you know, to go. Win 10 plus games with the team that I had just transferred to comparatively to winning, you know, the six that we did here.

It, it just, I don't think it would've been quite as rewarding.

Like we were out there like, you know, getting kicked, kicked in the teeth twice. So. That like that building on top of each other. And then, like you said, we start in season one and 6 1, 1 and five. However you wanna say it. And it was again, not, not necessarily looking great, like the feeling around the building, wasn't all, you know, sunshine and rainbows.

And, and so when we finally started to win some games, you know, we get the lot Louisiana tech game and then we get the FIU game, we get a road game under our belt and it's like, oh, okay. Like, you know, we're not in bad spot we're we got three games left and. Like there's, you know, there's still hope, you know, there was like whispers of, oh, you know, if we win three more, you know, you know, we got six win that's a bull game.

And so, but no one was really saying anything, you know what I mean? Cause it was all so one to know, want to no want to know, but then, you know, we finally, and obviously we had some awesome games with the FA and middle 10 and, and everything, but then you finally get to the end of that Charlotte game and, and you know, you look up at the scoreboard and had that nice, big win and, and you know, the scoreboard up there said bull eligible.

It was just, I don't know, it was, it was a great feeling because cuz all the stuff that we'd been through as a team was, you know, like, you know, we get knocked down, we get knocked down, we get knocked down and we finally fell finally kind of got back up and get got, you know, got our swings in.

I've never seen an ODU defense hit that hard before. I mean, it was the progress. Was there just, we weren't seeing it on the scoreboard

And, and as a credit to our guys, like, I mean, we fought so hard the entire game and it, you know, shows with having a second half comeback like that and end the day doesn't, doesn't really matter, cuz it's a loss is still a loss in that, you know, in that win loss column.

But I think just the fact that we were able to get to that point, because I think that there were probably some teams in the past that being down that much, at that point, it would've just kind of thrown in a towel and we wouldn't be able given our cha ourselves a shot to be in a position we were, you know, to tie the game with, with that little bit of time left.

So I think even, even like you said, like the results might not have been showing, but I think that if you really watch the tape or watch the games, like, like you were saying, like you get to see him in person that there, it was a different team on the field and I'm, I'm very. I like you said, I'm validated. I feel like I'm validated cuz we got the results.

Like we ended up being able to figure it out and it clicked and we, we got those results and at the end of the season where you're not sitting there saying, oh, this is the team, that's almost got it together. Well, it's like, no, that's the team that almost had it together and then did get it together. So it's something that's really cool to see.

So it was, it was really cool as fans to see such a young squad, just you figured out how to win and then you didn't know how to lose

So they, they had like, they were young guys and they, they definitely were, but you know, they at least had it like you know, a year's worth of college practicing experiences and obviously games are, are different and they're faster, but they'd at least seen, you know, what college football can look like in some capacity.

So they, they were coming out there, obviously games are different, you know, Adrenalines pumping and, you know, you got fans in the stands and it's all a little bit different, but they still had a little bit of time of true real development. So like, while we were super young, absolutely. In the, in the sense of not having game experience, but those weren't necessarily normal freshmen. Like a lot of those guys were second year freshman, which I think was a big, big help to us.

And, you know, when you're sitting there in the meeting room at the time, you're like, yeah, yeah, whatever, man, I'm sure it is. But I guess after, you know, sitting in the NFL meeting rooms and seeing how they do install it and, and teach all the stuff and, and how some of the schemes kind of translate over you, I kind of sit back and realize, okay, like I could, I could see the stuff on the board and think, okay, like, this is, I've done this before I've seen this installed.

Like it might be in different verbiage and it might be taught a little bit differently. But it, it is kind of. You know, similar. So it's not like I'm going there completely blind. I think another big thing.

So I gotta, I gotta get a shout out to him, but another thing that I think really prepared me really well was our strength staff and you know, de he did de and the whole and all those guys, I guess, you know, they're at Virginia tech now and everything, but or some of them are, but I think having that, having him come into the program when he did in 2019 was probably one of the, you know, biggest things that, that, that changed my career for the better.

He, you know, I think I can, I can speak for, I think a lot of the guys on team are hope I can with this statement saying that he completely changed, you know, the culture and, you know, the mentality of a lot of guys and also just the, the bodies of a lot of guys. Like, I mean, we, we gained a ton of muscle. We gotta so much stronger.

And that's, I think that's where a big, you know, a big part of getting ready to play at the next level comes from for me is the fact that I, I feel like I'm physically able to perform with these guys. And I think that's a huge thing. I think those two things combined, like the fact that I feel like I, I came in, you know, ready to learn with a base knowledge of some of the stuff they're gonna be teaching.

Plus the fact that I feel like I'm physically able to perform with these guys, you know, gives me a really, really good, you know, you know, base or hopefully an easier transition. Won't be an easy transition, but a smoother transition, you know, into this next level.

And so if your body's not like, I, I guess like there, you know, like they're just saying like week things break, like you can't, you can't really be weak and play anywhere in football, but especially on the offensive line. And so I think having that. You know, base strength really helps. And then like the other thing too is, is, is just kind of learn how to take care of yourself. So like we talked about earlier with like, who, you know, people who might have helped me out when I was a freshman.

Well, I like all those older guys, like Nick and, and all them, like, they kind of showed me, like, you gotta be able to spend time in that training room cuz it pays dividends. And that's something that I think I carried out through the rest of my time, like, you know, getting in the, the hot and cold tubs, doing some contrasting or if you have like a little, little injury or a little ding up, come up, you gotta go into the straining room and.

And and, and see them and, and make sure that they can help you out. And so, like, especially my last season there our athletic trainer, we have one of the best, probably the best athletic training staff in the nation. They do a phenomenal job like with Justin Walker. He is a great guy, but he also is amazing at his job. And he helped me a ton, especially in my last season, staying on the field.

So, you know, it's about utilizing your resources in the weight room and getting, getting strong enough to play. And then it's also, you know, utilizing the tools, they give you with the training room and, and making sure you're doing rehab and rehab and making sure you're using all these different tools for recovery. But that, I mean, and that's something that I think a lot of young guys can learn a lot from.

And I think that they did because honestly, the, the, the tubs at ODU were never as busy as I've ever seen them that they were this past season. I mean, it was, it was hard to find a spot in there, which. I guess if you're complaining about things, that's a good thing to complain about. It means everyone on the team cares about their bodies. So

Like, you know, I was, I felt like I was keeping up with everything, like a little bit, like, because the bullets are flying, but then I look back and I watch, I, I remember there was a, like if I ever went back and watched that film, I think I did at one point in my career where, where I was probably like, you know, I was a few years removed from that first camp. And I was like, I wonder what that looked like. And I, I went back and watched it and I looked like a deer in headlights.

I mean, I, I couldn't set. Right. I, I was running around like, I didn't know what was going on. And I think that was just because like, everything was that much faster. And it's something that I just don't know if I realized at the time where, you know, you don't even, you don't even know what you don't know. You know what I mean? Where it's just like, It it's a completely different game.

And then, and then obviously you get, you know, you get used to the speed and then you start learning and everything slows down. And then eventually like the game feels slow, you know? Or it feels like normal speed. It feels like it's very comprehendible. You, you know, you expect how everything's gonna move. You can see it coming before it happens and everything like that.

And that's when I think football gets fun or is super interesting or it gets more fun and more interesting because like, at that point, you're kind of like, you're looking at the defense and they're, they haven't moved yet, but you're like, oh, you're lined up like this. You might as well just move down here right now. Cause I know it's gonna happen anyway. Like, you know, save yourself the effort.

And then as far as like going from college to the NFL we haven't done a ton of full speed stuff quite yet. They've been, you know, keeping a light on us, but I'm expecting there to be, you know, just as much and even still like doing the drills and everything. Like I think the best way to describe it is like in college I was one of the bigger guys I was, you know, on the offensive line or on the team in general.

But I go out to practice now and you know, everybody's my size, you know, everybody is insanely strong, everybody is super quick. And so, you know, it's, it's just like, it, it, you know, it goes from, you know, you're playing college at this level. It's, it's just taking that next step and, and seeing how, you know, cuz I mean there, like those guys out there they're the best in the world, you know? Like there's you know, there's, there's, there's all pros on this team that I'm playing on.

And so it's like, these really are like. The best people in the world, but this, the thing that they do and it's, it's kind of crazy to watch them, you know, practice and see how they operate. So,

And, but I was talking to my agent and we, we had just kinda like, you know, gone into this, knowing that the charters had done their Mo done their homework on me, the most they had, they had clearly shown the most interest. And, and we examined, you know, the looked at the roster and, and kind of saw where I, I, where I might fit in and, you know, seeing what they were kind of needing and, and all the pieces just kind of fit together really well.

And then, you know, since I've been out there and gotten to see how they run their organization, I am super thankful that I am. Cause I think they do a, a phenomenal job at running it just the way that, you know, the way that they do things is it makes a lot of sense. And, and you know, to me, it looks like a team that is gonna be extremely good over the next few years. And I'm, I'm happy to get a chance to be a part of it.

And, you know, getting a chance to learn from him has been amazing. Like I'm super thankful I'll able to do that. And he's been very welcoming and, you know, willing to answer questions whenever and, and help me out with technique. And then also having, you know, right, right, right. Over there at left tag with the Rashaan Slater. And he's, you know, think all pros, a rookie, and it's just kind of crazy to see how, you know, how these guys work and, and what they do.

And I think there's, you know, a lot to learn from.

Hmm. I don't know. I feel like a lot of the stuff like, you know, in my time there, I remember playing a ton of beach volleyball out in out on the Whiters courts over there near the, near the river, I guess, near those dorms. And we had some, you know, like everyone was just kind of like, you can kind of get by in that game with just your athleticism, you know what I mean?

And just like the technique necessarily, wasn't always there for a lot of guys that, like, we probably would've, I dunno if you can foul out in volleyball, but they probably would've done that. Like the volleyball team probably could have come over and taught us a bunch of lessons, made our games a lot better, but we could a bunch of guys that were pretty good. And one of the guys that he might have been, you know, one of the better ones out there was Hayden Wolf.

I think, you know, growing up in Florida on the beach probably helped him out a little bit, but he had one of those serves that like had that, you know, down spin or whatever it is, made it a little hard to handle. And he's, you know, he's, he's, I feel like he's sneaky athletic. Like he'd get up there and be able to. Spiked the ball back and stuff like that every once in a while. So I, I, I probably put him up there for something that people might not guess.

But I remember we went to no frill more than probably any of the other ones, especially this past season that that's gotta be my favorite on campus. I think my, my favorite on campus is P Franks. I mean, you really can't go wrong with that. Like they got, they got all the cheap skate plates, so you can eat on a budget and everything like that. It's easy to go in. It's quick. And it's just like, you know, it's a good spot like that.

That's probably on campus is the best, but no frill for me takes the cake out of all of those ODU. I mean, Norfolk area restaurants.

Like I could probably talk about Norfolk restaurants for an hour straight alone, because there is like, I, that's probably the most underrated thing about the city is, is the fact that it's got, I think it's got some of the best food in any city I've been around. Like it's the restaurants around there are awesome. Like that. That's, that's probably one thing I miss the most about being around there honestly, is all the good food.

And it's the best, like, I mean, they've got the fastest service I've ever seen in my life and it's also great food. I mean, again, the other thing that we love about it is it's portions. Like we're, we all go and it's a bunch of big guys, like, so they get huge portions that are out super quick. I mean, you can't go wrong with that.

Gotta give a shout to them, but one place that, that I really love, that's probably up there in my top five for me is I mean, it's gotta, it's gotta be up there with the, volcano's a great spot. You know, all, you can eat sushi again, going with the, the big portions you can eat as much as you want. That was, that was a football, football player's dream in, in school. But there's a place right near that Bangkok garden. I absolutely love that place. Oh yeah. That's high

So I, I play a lot of country music like one guy, like probably my favorite artist right now is Tyler child's. And I try and play his stuff, but the thing that's tricky about that is he is such a good guitarist that like, I mean, his, his talent for that absolutely dwarfs mind. So like every time I try and play it, it's like, oh man, this sounds like crap. Like I really wish, you know like maybe I should spend more time doing this, but you know, he he's he's, he's got some really good songs.

I love playing, but I I've always had that kind of mentality where it's like, if I hear a song and I think it sounds cool, I'll, I'll, I'll be like, yeah, I could try and play that. You know, sometimes I can sometimes I can't. But it it's something that I just kind of find a lot of you know, stress relief from like, it it's, it's like one of those outlets in my life. That's not football cuz most of my life is football.

So having one of those things that like is completely separate where the two really can't ever get tied up is very nice. Because it's just like some, a way to forget like, you know, decon, Deconnect for a second disconnect for a second.

There are absolutely beautiful and I it's, it's a spot that like it's every night, I feel like it's got a ton of students out there, a ton of people who's got, who've got the same idea. So I guess if it's popular like that, you know, it's probably a decent, you know, a decent recommendation or a decent idea to use, but that was definitely the, the, the place to do that. All right, Isaac. So

And I think that's the best thing about it is you're gonna get an extremely unique experience if you go there, when you decided to go there from even even having like the proximity to everything I think is another thing that makes it huge and also adds into that, that great diversity about it is the fact that you've got so much different stuff around it. You've got the campus, obviously, which I, which was awesome. I loved that campus, especially because like it's, it's a campus that.

It it's, it's big enough to where, you know, you, you, you don't feel like you're in the same place the whole day, but it's also small enough to where you can walk. No problem. Like, I had a bunch of buddies who go to SCC schools and stuff like that, and they live it's in like, they're like, yeah, I gotta walk uphill, like 30 minutes to class. Like, yeah, that sucks for you, man. I got, I got a flat, straight shot in my next class is 20 minutes away. Like that's nothing, you know?

So like, that's a big part of it. But even you got downtown Norfolk, so close, which has so much to offer, like you got the food down there. Like, and even like the part I miss a lot right now is the fact that summer. Around there is the best. I mean, you've got all those, like you got Harbor Fest and, and a Cajun festival and all that stuff that they do downtown in that Waterside area.

Then you got like Virginia beaches, so close, like, which was a ton of fun in the summer, like, cause we were there the whole year, you know, so we would, you know, get done with our summer workouts on Friday and then we had the weekends off. Like, what else are you gonna do? Except go down at the beach and have a good time. So I think the accessibility to all that stuff is, is incredible. And it, it, it like really added a ton to my college experience.

And I think it would add a ton to anybody's college experience really

And in December, when you guys made it to Myrtle beach, we helped the school send students down to Myrtle beach so they could attend it and support you guys. So, you know, we love charity. We'd love to know if you have a favorite charity or a few that you like. You'd like to talk about.

I really hope that if it's not, it continues to do so in the future, but we AC we actually started a Blair mentorship project or a program where we were, you know, and we partnered with the, the middle school Blair middle school and were helping a mentor, those kids that, that go to that school. And that was I was a part of that.

A bunch of our players were parts of that, and it was a ton of fun just to get to, you know, interact with those kids and, and, and and try and make a positive impact on their lives. The, the unfortunate thing was it was happening during Like COVID kind of got mixed up with it all. And so it was kind of like, it made it difficult and then, you know, code regulations kind of threw wrench in the plan, but that's, that was a, you know, a program that I really love doing.

And I know that other guys on the team love doing as well. And so that's something I hope that, you know, can get back up and running over at ODU, cuz I know there's a ton of guys on the team that would love to do it and I think it would also have a huge impact in that community.

I guess football's just a game I love so much. I don't know if I could see myself really stepping away from it fully. But the big thing too is I've had so many, like I've had so many positive coaching figures in my life that have helped me do so much. Like they've, they've helped me a ton in life. They've taught me a ton. And it's something that I kind of would like to give back in a way and kinda, you know, do my part, pay it, pay it back.

Cuz you know, I owe a lot in my life, in my opinion, to sports in general and especially football. So that's something that like, if I'm able to do something I love and also something I think could help, you know, people a ton. I think that's like, you know, in my mind the perfect match.

So I guess like, hopefully that's way down the road, you know, like, you know, 15 years and I, you know, retired and made myself some money, but that's kind of, I guess, where I see myself venturing out to at some point in my life. Other than that, you know, I'm just kinda hanging out, trying to take it day by day. Like those are obviously the big plans, but you know, you'll wanna know every day as, as, as coach Ryan would say so that that's kind of the mentality I'm caring with me right now.