As a kid he was a running back.

"As a kid I didn't play linebacker, I played running back all the way up to my junior year of high school. My high school coach was a defensive coach and he always put his best players on defense so that's what got me playing linebacker. I like being physical, I think that's what every football player likes about the sport. I thought it was a good fit for me, moving into that position."

The best way to unwind in the offseason is by spending time with friends and family.

"Just get around friends and family. Try to get around a different environment, fresh off the season I want to get my mind off it. Go somewhere with friends and family and talk about life, football, God, whatever it is."

His closest relationship on the team is with the other linebackers.

"Just the whole linebacker room. All of those guys are the guys I spend the most time with."

Batman is his favorite fictional character.

"I like Batman the most because he doesn't have any powers, but he has all the gadgets and he out-thinks everybody. A little bit of martial arts in there. I just think he's got the best movies too, so I would say Batman."

Walter Payton, Barry Sanders, and Reggie Bush were his biggest inspirations growing up.

"Those were the guys I wanted to be like, as far as playing running back. For people who don't play the game of football, linebacker and running back are kind of a mirror image. I'm behind the D-line, they're protecting me from the O-line, so it's kind of like playing running back without the football. A lot of those same movements, being able to cut and slip on the blocks and all that stuff, it's the same. Those three guys for sure."

Knowledge is the biggest separator between college football and the NFL.

"The talent is not that far off, obviously there is a little bit more talent at this level but it's not that big of a drop off in my opinion. I would say the knowledge of the playbook, the knowledge of the formations and different looks that you get and the way that you have to prepare."

Playing in front of the 12s for the first time is what he is most excited about for the season.

"Just the ability to go out there and play with these guys, honestly, that's what I'm most excited about. To get out and play in front of these fans for the first time. I've been hearing about it for a year now, I can't wait to see what that's like and just go out there and win games. That's what I'm excited about."

Mental preparation is how he gets ready on gameday.

"I like to get up to the stadium pretty early. You've got to put the earphones in, got to lock in, get in the cold and hot tubs, stretch out a little bit, go over the playbook, and the calls and just dial it in. Start envisioning the game in my head, and by the time the game comes I'm going to do everything I envisioned already."

A missed tackle was his 'Welcome to the NFL' moment.

"San Francisco – it wasn't a big play – but I missed a tackle, and I don't miss a lot of tackles. It was just me and the ball carrier, and he kind of hit me with a little move. I think that was kind of what woke me up."

Michael Jordan was his favorite athlete growing up.

"He's probably everybody's favorite athlete but, for one, he had the same name as me, he had the best shoes, and he was the best on the court."

Blue Bell ice cream is his go-to comfort food.

"People don't know about it up here, it's down south, if you ever go to Texas or any of the states down south, get Blue Bell ice cream. It's the best ice cream."

The most valuable lesson he has learned from Bobby Wagner is to be consistent.

"It's not necessarily something he told me, but just watching him. You don't get 100 tackles every season by mistake, it's consistency. I see that he's the first one up here every morning, he's the last guy to leave, and that's not a cliché, it's fact. It's just learning how he prepares and treats his body. His preparation is what makes him Bobby Wagner."