X's and BrO's - Josh Priebe Interview

Welcome back to Exits and Bros. Matt Sheppard with you and Josh preeb is getting ready for the Texas Longhorns rest of the Michigan Wolverines, and he joins us here on Exites and Bros. You as a three time academic All Big Ten selection, last year third team but a guy who started thirty games. You come to Michigan from Northwestern. How much quote unquote street cred do you have when you come into a new program with already that under your belt?

Yeah? I think, like, you know, the biggest thing when I first got here, I was just trying to earn the respect of all the guys.

I was fortunate enough.

To be able to do all spring ball and do that and earn the respect of my teammates and coaches.

I think, Yeah, certainly haven't experience is great.

And being able to, you know, hopefully be a mentor to some of the younger guys who don't have as much experience, but certainly always have things that I'm working on and trying to get better at.

How much did it mean for you to come here after growing up in Niles and winning the state championship at Edwardsburgh.

Yeah, a lot.

You know, obviously understood how important uh in the tradition and legacy of of this football program, and got recruited here out of high school, really liked it, and yeah, it was just, you know, kind of a great opportunity for me when when that door opened to come over the time when I did.

And I've loved to hear so far.

Michigan offensive guard Josh Pre've joining us here on exus and Bros. Your offensive line coach also played here. How important is it that you have a guy like Grant Newsom who's been in your shoes to a certain extent because he was a Michigan man.

Yeah, that's awesome, and I think, you know, it's just great because he understands the the standard that this offensive line has to live up to, and he coaches super hard and pushes us and uh, I think he you know, he himself, you know, he wants to be the best off offensive line coach in the country and he's always looking for ways to get.

Better and he's been a great mentor to all of us.

You talk about the standard. This offensive line won the Joe Mora Award two years ago and three years ago. Last year as a semi finalist, if you will. How important is that for you as a collective group to keep that and uphold that standard?

And obviously you guys set goals. Is that one of those goals? Yeah?

Absolutely, Yeah, I went in Jor Mowar is certainly one of our goals. And like you said, like it has been the standard here in the past couple of years, and I think everyone on our in our offensive line room is always striving for perfection, perfection and looking for ways to get better and achieve those goals and those standards.

Even though you've started thirty games more than anybody on the offensive line, were there any jitters going into the opening weekend against Fresno State for you?

Yeah, a lot of jitters. There's a I mean, I haven't started a game or.

Heck even gone to a practice without, you know, feeling nervous. Those are all very normal feelings and really just the biggest thing is just trying to embrace that and let that be more excitement rather than rather than nerves.

I think people are fascinated by playbooks. How long would it take you to transfer all the knowledge you had at Northwestern knowing that playbook for four years and then switching over to this playbook.

How long does it take you? How comfortable are you with it?

Yeah, I'd say it took me about a month it, Yeah, because I mean, really like in football, there's there's a there's really only so many plays you can run, and it's just about learning different terms for plays. If I was fortunate enough that, you know, actually the offense we ran at Northwestern was really pretty pretty similar in a lot of ways to to what we do here scheme wise on a lot of the similar plays. So it's

So would you like and what didn't you like about your collective performance against Fresno State?

Yeah?

I think I loved how we we finished that game and the physicality that we brought in the second half. And I think I think the thing that we have to improve on is, you know, just starting the game. We just have to start faster and we have to just kind of bring that same enthusiasm energy right off the bat. We can't we can't kind of wait to get that going. We have to we have to start faster.

With all due respect to Fresno State, I've always been a big believer big time programs should be playing teams that allow you to get your proverbial feet wet right, and then you can dive into the meat of your schedule if you will. I know the fans would love, you know, the USCU, LSU games, but those aren't always beneficial unless you obviously win that game. How much does it help to have that one game under your belt before you get.

A powerhouse like Texas?

Yeah, I mean it's always good to, you know, get a game under the belt, especially with a new new group certainly, but you know, friends, now State was they were a good team, and I think they're certainly going to.

Have a successful year.

And they had a lot of talented players, so I think, you know, it's great to play an opponent like that, you know who who does put up a good fight and who who do have some really talented guys before, certainly for a really big game like this.

Are you a football guy?

Do you watch other football games or do you have enough of it watching film and playing your own game to not worry? How Texas did in their first game of the season.

No, I definitely definitely love watching other games and obviously watch watch their game against Colorado State and going to study a lot of what they do. But yeah, no, definitely definitely always interested in what's what's going on in the football world.

So what should take on the Longhorns and the challenge that presents.

Yeah, I think they're super talented, obviously defensively, and they play super fast, really physical, and I think it's just gonna be a great, great matchup and super excited.

For Josh pretty joining us here on exes and bros.

How much does it help you going up against such a stout, stout defense as you get ready for not just Texas but also the Big Ten season on a day to day.

Basis, Yeah, it's great.

You're not gonna get much better competition than what you get every day of practice against against our defense.

Our defense is elite for sure.

And yeah, I mean it's it's always great going against those guys up front.

Gonna make definitely gonna make the games feel easier.

How many people are coming to the game to support you, I mean I would guess, you know, I'm sure they were there every single time for Northwestern, but maybe this drive maybe a little bit easier for them.

Yeah.

No, My my parents always always showed up to always come to every single game.

Brother girlfriend. Uh And it's great.

Too because I got some family and friends too that that live a little bit closer here as well. So yeah, definitely great.

To be back.

Brother, older, younger older. Okay, so does the younger brother rule the rooster? Does the older brother? Even though he may be even smaller than U, does he still have you know, a little bit of psychological advantage?

He always like he.

Likes to think that he he still holds it down. But I think once I passed him up in size, and like early on in high school there I think I like to think, uh, I got a little bit of an advantage.

But he's a he's a very smart guy. Very smart.

Well, last thing for you, you're into social work, which I think is interesting. Where do we go after our football career is done? And why the social work path?

Well, you know, I'm not one hundred percent certainly what I want to do. I I got a business degree from Northwestern, and unfortunately I'm not gonna have time to really kind of finish a finish a full degree here. Social work is kind of the kind of the best option to kind of fulfill those uh those academic needs for right now.

Best of luck to you, Stay healthy man. I appreciate your time.

Appreciate it, you bet.