Winning the Washington state championship is something that he will never forget
"I have a few (great memories), but the one that stands out immediately was when we won our state championship in high school. I was playing at Archbishop Murphy up in Everett, Wash. Just because of everything that happened that year with all of the forfeits from teams that didn't want to play us because they didn't feel safe. That was a whole thing in itself. Committing to college and being able to go to college as a whole was a great memory. Draft night too, so there's a bunch."
He always dreamt of playing like Seahawks Legend Walter Jones
"Growing up watching the Seahawks, I remember my dad was a big Walter Jones guy. Just look at him, he's one of, if not the greatest offensive lineman to ever play. It would be awesome if I could have a fraction of success that he had. I also watched Kyle Turley who played primarily for the Saints and Rams. He was kind of an ass, but he was a really, really good player."
The Seahawks hoisting the Lombardi is his favorite memory as a fan
"When they beat the Broncos in the Super Bowl, I remember I was at my aunt's house and it was such a great game. I was watching them destroy them and there was no worry after they went up 17-0 or whatever it was. It was like, 'We got this.' I remember as soon as the clock was winding down, everyone was hugging and then I remember hearing a ferry horn in the distance. Everybody was coming outside, running around the street. It was great."
As a member of the 12s, he is thrilled to play in front of them
"I am a 12, so I kind of know how rowdy they are and how much they get down. I'm really ready for that noise. There are the instances of the 12s registering on the Richter scale. It's awesome, I love that, and I think it's great."
He wants to be known as the ultimate team player
"I would like to be known as a guy who did his job to the best of his ability and the right way. Some guys are really good players, but they're also media personalities. That's fine, but that's not my thing. I want to be known as myself, and not anybody that tried to do anything extra."
A hard-nosed strength and conditioning coach showed him what it took to be great
"I've had a few. Obviously, my mother and my father. Just what they did for me and all of my siblings coming from a big family. The way they continue to sacrifice for me even with the position that I am in now has been fantastic and second to none. In college, I had a strength coach when first got there as freshman. He kind of whipped me into gear and taught me what it means to be a man. He basically set me on that road, so from then on, I just tried to emulate what I learned from him."
Being called out by a coach changed his mind set
"After my first week of workouts, I was called into his office and basically told me that I was in the bottom three of the freshman that week because my effort was bad and I had terrible body language. I was 18 at the time and I was baffled, but also scared to death of this guy because of his demeanor and the way he carried himself. From then on, I knew that I had to get into gear. After that, I was just more absorbent to his learning. I haven't spoken to him since I left, but he had a really tremendous impact on my life."
Scriptures give him guidance and motivation
"I don't know about lyrics because I listen to a lot of heavy metal. A lot of that can be pretty hardcore, so I don't know if that's motivating. I'm also Catholic, so get motivation from when I read scriptures. Everything Jesus said is pretty much perfect, so it may be a little confusing at times, but it's great. The scripture that I relied on is Second Corinthians 12:10 which says 'For when I am weak, I am strong.' It's just about when you are at your lowest of lows, that's when you figure out who you are and what you are made of. In those moments you actually find out that you are stronger than you think, so I like that one."
Heavy metal is a crucial part of his pregame routine
"I don't know if you ever heard of the video game 'Doom,' but the newest one, 'Doom Eternal' has a kick ass soundtrack. I have that and I listen to that. It's all instrumental which is great. I just like to time it out, so I'm not burnt out. I also listen to Pantera, Rammstein, Slayer, Anthrax, and there's a lot of other stuff mixed into that. I do that, go out onto the field, warm up, a try to stay even keeled and not super, super serious. I come out at gametime and then we just get rolling."
Off the field, you can find him playing the guitar and spending time outside
"I play guitar, I try to play that more than I play video games. I like to be outside, there's a cool trail that's right behind my apartment that I just discovered, so I just like to be out in that environment, just away from everything. I like to draw sometimes. I have a lot of tattoos, so I'm really into the art of tattoos. I'm always open to trying new stuff."
If not for football, he would be a lead guitarist
"Honestly, I was being realistic, I would probably be working somewhere. I don't know where, but I would probably get into strength coaching or something like that. Football obviously was the dream that I had, I've accomplished it, and I'm continuing to make it happen, but if not, my other dream was to be a lead guitarist in a heavy metal band. If I could pursue that, I absolutely would."
If he could have dinner with any person dead or alive, it would be a local legend
"For celebrity, entertainment wise, I would say it would be cool to meet Jimi Hendrix just because he was a Washington boy and for everything that he did for the guitar."
