• Position: I-back
• Class: Junior
• Height, weight: 6-0, 217
• Hometown: Danville, Calif.
• Notable: Graduates of Sam Ramon Valley High School include Helu, ex-Nebraska quarterback Sam Keller, professional baseball player Randy Winn of the San Francisco Giants and coach Bob Ladouceur, who guided Concord (Calif.) De La Salle High to a national-record 151 straight victories from 1992 to 2003.
Q: Do you watch film of your play?
A: “I don't watch last year's film. I'm a different player, and I believe that's because of the training. If anything, it motivates me to go out there and play better. For improvements, I watch (Darren) McFadden and (DeMarco) Murray.
Q: Have you always enjoyed practice?
A: “I didn't like practice at all. You could ask my high school coach. He probably called me lazy in some areas.”
Q: Do most college players understand the importance of practice?
A: “No. Some guys still don't get it. Our team as a whole gets it. Just coming from a couple years back, that team didn't get it. But the way we practice, we certainly do.”
Q: What must you do as a player to “get it?”
A: “You have to make a decision — what type of player do you want to be. For me, it was something personal. Then Coach (Tim) Beck came here and really pushed us. He gave us the vision of the type of backs we could be. And I bought into it.”
Q: How does your weight affect your playing shape?
A: “Weight doesn't matter. It's all about squats and stuff like that.”
Q: You've added weight since last season. How did you make sure to add the right kind of weight?
A: “Since (nutritionist) Josh (Hingst) got here, I did lose weight and toned up. I ate healthier. I eat vegetables now. I don't know if that helps, but I do eat them. When I got big, I was just eating straight-up fish, chicken, steak. Whether that makes me a better football player or not, I don't know.”
Q: Do you enjoy the protein Gatorade shakes?
A: “I love them.”
Q: They taste good?
A: “No, but for your body, they're great.”
— Mitch Sherman
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