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LSU coach arrived at SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. as the dean of conference coaches, and he was joined by three of his players: RB Leonard Fournette, Ethan Pocic and Tre’Davious White.
Here’s what the Tigers trio had to say at Day 4:
Junior RB Leonard Fournette
On helping out flood victims in South Carolina:
“My thought process on that was basically what I went through with Hurricane Katrina. We
really didn’t receive any help so I have the platform and the voice to help people so I
figured why not be that difference maker in the generation.”
On his daughter:
“One of the best things that’s ever happened to me in my life … Anything I say or do I
always think about her before I do it because at the end of the day I’m responsible for her.”
On Coach Les Miles:
“Like I said he was cool the whole time. He always told us to just to play for ourselves but at
the end of the day that is our head coach and without his signature on those letters we
wouldn’t be here so we play for him at the end of the day.”
On speaking up about issues (South Carolina flood, Alton Sterling, etc.):
“That’s just me. At the end of the day God creates people different. He gives people certain
attributes and things but I think that’s just me overall.”
On Heisman hype:
“I mean I wasn’t really worried about it and this year I’m not either. My main focus is to win
a national championship and bring it back to Louisiana.”
On having a “nickname”:
“I just be me at the end of the day. I’m not trying to be like anybody. I never looked up to no
running back or no player so just try to be the best person I can be.”
On what he wants people to know about him:
“That I have a great personality. I love joking around, I love playing and I have a wonderful
heart. I’m caring and I’m generous.”
On personal goals:
“Just work harder. My personal goal is to win a national championship, nothing else.
Senior C Ethan Pocic
On hip injury:
“So the hip injury, it’s a genetic thing that’s in the joint, it’s similar to a shoulder. A little bit
too much bone, and the bone constricts your movement and tears into your labrum and
your cartilage. It’s very similar to a shoulder labrum, and they just went in and scoped it. It
wasn’t like a hip replacement or anything. Just went in, scoped it, cleaned it up, fixed the
labrum and it feels great now. I’m 100 percent. I feel even better than before.”
On Les Miles being in a movie:
“It really doesn’t surprise me. Coach Miles loves to do stuff like that. I think it’s funny and it
doesn’t surprise me. He’s always a little goofy, a little quirky, and I’m excited. I want to see
it.”
On chances at playing left tackle:
“Well right now, with our preparation and everything, they got me playing center. It’s more
of a, what’s best for the team. Right now they want me at center. Coach Grimes told me to
get some reps at it just in case someone goes down or something. But I see myself as a
center, and I think that’s the best way for me to help the team.”
On advantages/disadvantages of playing center at 6-foot-7:
“Well the advantages are you got length, of course. Some of these nose tackles and D
tackles, they’re about 6’, 6’3’’, sometimes you’ll get a freak at 6’5’’. The disadvantages, you
really got to focus on staying low. Keeping your hips down and staying low. Having a good
center of gravity so you don’t lean one way or another. I think it is more of an advantage
than a disadvantage.”
On what Les Miles has meant to LSU:
“I think Coach Miles just has a way of making things very exciting. That game (the bowl
game) we were just playing for Coach Miles. He’s the coach that brought us in and he was
the one that took a chance on us offering us. So we just want to fulfill him and play for him
and I think we did that.
Senior DB Tre’Davious White
On SEC Media Days:
“From the start, I’m enjoying it. I like to talk so being here is not a problem for me. Just
being social, just getting along, and seeing other guys from other teams, so I am looking
forward to the rest of the process.”
On African-American and police relationship in Baton Rouge:
“I feel like it is not a problem. If you treat people with respect, they will respect you, that
was the way I was brought up. In the situation that is going on right now, our best bet as
athletes at LSU is to win football games. That will bring the community together.”
On having any regrets on returning:
“Never. My decision to come back was one of the best decisions in my life. Actually, this is
going to be the last year in my life that I will do a lot of things for free, eat for free, sleep for
free, and just live for free. Being a college kid for one last year, I mean, was the ultimate
decision, and being one of the first in my family to graduate from college was a big deal
too.”
On facing Leonard Fournette in practice:
“I’ve chased him down quite a few times in practice. It is a tough task to bring him down as
you can tell from watching him on TV.”
On what you want people to know about you:
“The most important thing that I would want them to know is that I was the class
valedictorian in high school and I graduated with a 4.3. I was one of the first guys in my
high school to become valedictorian. I would want them to know that about me, not only
just about football.”
On picture of Les Miles in a police uniform for a movie he will be in:
“I wasn’t surprised. Everybody knows Coach Miles is a character and he is like that each
and every day and we love to play for him. You know when a guy genuinely cares about
you, you are willing to do everything for him. With that photo I just laughed and sent it in
the group text that we have.”
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
