Michigan State University Athletics
Spartan Football Sideline Report: Nehemiah Warrick
9/6/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 6, 2006
Arriving to East Lansing in January 2006, junior college transfer Nehemiah Warrick has made an immediate impact at Michigan State. The NJCAA first-team All-American has earned the starting role at strong safety for the Spartans this fall, following an impressive spring at MSU. In his first game in Green and White (against Idaho), Warrick earned his stripes, as he and free safety Otis Wiley led the Spartan defense with 12 tackles each. Warrick recently took time to discuss his career and Big Ten football.
Q: Can you talk a little bit about your transition from junior college to Big Ten football?
A: First of all, the game speed is much quicker. Here you aren't competing against mediocre guys; out here in the Big Ten, you are competing against the best. Learning the plays was another big difference. In JUCO, we only had 10 or 15 plays maximum. Here, we have so many different sets and our playbook is just thick. You definitely have to be more focused because they are always throwing in new plays.
Q: How do you think you were able to adapt to all of those differences?
A: I came in here with all the odds against me, and I knew that I only had one shot. Coming from JUCO ranks, I only had two years left and I knew I would have to break into an organization right away. I came in and competed everyday and worked hard.
Q: You arrived at MSU last January and were able to participate in spring football, what was your first impression?
A: I thought it was going to be tough. I saw the guys, and they were a lot bigger, faster and stronger. I knew I was going to have to step my game up.
Q: What did you do, being a transfer, to make yourself a part of the team right away?
A: I came in and respected all of the players. Other than that I just came in and competed. I knew the best way was to show respect and just play football.
Q: You and SirDarean Adams played together in high school, how much influence did he have on your decision to come to Michigan State?
A: I sat down with him and talked about it. He didn't try to force me to come though. He just told me to make a smart decision and told me the things to look into when picking schools.
Q: Who has been your biggest influence in your career?
A: My grandmother has been my biggest influence. She raised me all of my life. She basically took me in when I was about 5. She raised me, made me go to church, and made me focus on my school work. There were a lot of distractions around me and she didn't want me to get caught up in the wrong things. She knew I had an opportunity to be somebody. She stuck it to me - made me go to church, made me do things I didn't want to do, but in the end it helped me.
Q: What was it like when you got to run out of the tunnel in Spartan Stadium before 70,000-plus fans on opening day?
A: That was an awesome experience. It's indescribable. I was like `Wow, I am really here now.' This isn't JUCO, this isn't high school - this is Big Ten football. This is it.
Q: In the first game against Idaho, you and Otis Wiley led the team in tackles and had a big game in the secondary, can you talk about that?
A: We had a good game, but we aren't satisfied because we know we can do better. There we some things that we know we can improve on. Our communication was a little better than what it had been, but we're not satisfied because we know there are always things we can do better.
Q&A conducted by Kristin Keirns, MSU Sports Information intern
